Emo Koalas
by raenbc
Summary: Kevin just wanted to help Macy out. What he didn't know was that he was the problem. Kevin/Macy Joe/Stella Nick/OC. Please R&R!
1. Claustrophobia

7/8/09

Emo Koalas

"The forecast calls for rain all week." This statement was made over the sound of booming thunder. The Lucas brothers sat in the kitchen of the fire house, which served as their home, while the rain came down hard outside. It was close to nine o'clock, and all three of them were exhausted.

The two others took awhile to respond to what Nick had said, his brown eyes shifting back and forth between blinks while he looked from Joe to Kevin and back again in anticipation of an answer. Maybe they were too tired to listen.

"Oh, yeah." Joe said finally, fatigue showing in the way he spoke. He was too worn out to crack any jokes, even though none came to mind with the conversation he was having anyway. Kevin said nothing at all, paying no attention. That was very unlike him.

"Let's just go to bed." Nick decided that's what he would do. For him, there was no point in him staying up if it wouldn't inspire a song to be written. Joe silently agreed, standing up and heading for the stairs. He made it half way up before turning to his younger brother in confusion and concern. "Why hasn't Kevin moved?" He whispered.

With a shrug, Nick turned around and walked back to where the eldest Lucas brother sat. Joe watched from the steps, but still nothing happened. He couldn't understand it. Kevin just sat there, his hazel eyes staring straight forward in the direction of the window, watching the rain.

While Nick waved his hand in front of his brothers expressionless face, the only sound that could be heard was the thunder, until Joe let out a small laugh.

"Maybe he fell asleep with his eyes closed." Nick highly doubted that, ignoring the comment completely. He started calling his brother's name. "Kevin? Kevin? Kevin??"

"COME BACK TO EARTH!" Joe yelled. No response from Kevin. "Shh! Do you wanna wake up Mom and Dad?" Nick whispered harshly. "You forgot Frankie." Nick shook his head. "There's no way he's asleep in this storm." "Is Kevin out of his trance yet?" Joe asked. "What do you think?" Nick knew it was plain to see that Kevin was the same way he had been minutes before, staring and silent, oblivious to the world around him other than the rain.

"_I_ think we should find something to hit him with." With that, Kevin turned his head in Joe's direction for a split second. _If looks could kill…_ The stare went right through Joe, brief as it was. Kevin had actually managed to look menacing, he didn't think that was possible.

"Kevin, we really should get some sleep." Nick said. "Yeah, there'll be plenty of rain for you to look at tomorrow." Joe told him. Kevin still didn't move. He hardly even blinked. It was scary to watch. It was scary that someone like him could look so serious, and seem so detached.

Seconds of silence went by. "You know what, Nick? Let's just leave him. When you come up, turn off all the lights. You know how scared he gets." Joe said, looking more serious than he ever had before either. Nick nodded sadly, he couldn't argue with a plan like that.

So, Kevin was left to sit there in the dark. On any normal day, the combination of the darkness and the thunder crashing would have had him screaming. He didn't make a sound while he sat there in thought, letting the lightning be his only source of security.

His face fell when he realized he was completely alone, but he didn't stay sad for long. He was too busy trying to shake the feeling that came over him, one that scared him enough into looking scary. Slowly, Kevin got up at went to the upstairs window. Even though it was impossible to see anything through the rain, he suddenly felt claustrophobic, like someone was out there.

Someone was watching him.


	2. A Precious Encounter

**This chapter is dedicated to the real Precious, Crazigirl15.**

The next day at school seemed to be starting out like any other day. Joe was just happy that Kevin wasn't freaking him out anymore, and that he wasn't getting any more 'death stares' from him. Kevin seemed to be perfectly fine, as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened the night before. He was extremely quiet but otherwise, perfectly fine.

The two of them were actually in search of Nick, who had somehow managed to get away from them in the crowd at the door. No need to call out his name though, they'd find him soon enough. Before finding him, they found Stella.

She was walking alone, and her eyes seemed to be looking at the ground. Joe couldn't be more upset. Not only did this prove that the normal feeling of the atmosphere had been shattered since he expected to see Stella talking and laughing with Macy, and occasionally getting annoyed when she started blabbing about JONAS.

The reason for why Stella was sad wasn't clear while Joe watched her walk down the hallway towards him and Kevin, but anything that made her upset had him feeling twice as bad.

"Hey, Stell." He said, trying to sound like he couldn't tell anything was wrong. She looked up at him, a small smile on her face. Her voice didn't sound happy. In fact, it sounded annoyed. "Hi, Joe."

Both Kevin and Joe were confused. Joe was wondering what he could've possible done to make her annoyed with him, since the day hadn't even started yet, and Kevin was wondering what happened to his greeting.

"What did I do now?" Joe asked. She laughed a little. Then she sighed. "It's not you, it's Macy." "Well _that's _a new one." It was the first thing Kevin had said all day, other than 'Good Morning', and Joe laughed even though he didn't really understand what he meant. To Kevin, what Stella had said sounded like some strange break- up line.

"In that case, what did she do now?" "For one thing, she didn't come to school. Even though she _seemed_ to be _perfectly healthy_ when I went over to her house this morning." Both boys nodded. "Weird." They said in unison, laughing afterward. Stella's eyes had wandered somewhere else at that point. "Not as weird as the roadblock over there by the atrium."

"_Great_, now my _other_ brother's on another planet." Joe said as he and the others made their way over there. Kevin laughed at all the rhyming made in that sentence.

Nick was just standing and watching, completely still and silent. He had one hand on the glass, and Joe burst out laughing as he realized what was going on. Something like this was totally normal for Nick. Stella and Kevin hadn't caught on to what was going on, and couldn't see for themselves since they were standing behind Joe.

"What's happening?" Stella asked. "I know that face…" Joe said, as if he hadn't even heard the question. While this left Stella to give Joe weird looks he couldn't see, it sounded like a perfectly normal and informing response to Kevin.

"That face wouldn't happen to have a goofy smile included, would it?" He asked. "Of course." Joe replied. Stella nodded, finally understanding.

The girl inside was completely oblivious to her original audience of one or her audience of four. She was lost in the music she was listening to, bobbing her head to it and singing although no one could hear, but stopped remembering that she should get to class on time. Heading out the door, she couldn't help but notice her fellow students then, even though she didn't know them. They all turned to her.

"What's up?" She said casually. From everyone else except Nick, she got a chorus of 'nothing's in response. "Just hangin' out." Joe added. Nick was speechless until he noticed her iPod was still on, but the music was paused. "What are you listening to?"

Music was a topic he could talk about very easily, and something he hoped wouldn't make him sound like a rambling idiot. The girl didn't seem to notice the lovesick tone he used.

"My favorite song." The girl replied sweetly, walking up to him with a smile on her face. She held an ear bud out to him. The others watched as his shaking hand took it, and the girl pushed play.

To Nick's surprise, the voice he was listening to sounded very familiar. Since he was just staring at the girl the whole time she stood in front of him, he wasn't even sure who he was listening to.

_**Well, there's no need to fight, we're just wasting time(Tonight)If you give it a try well then maybe you'll find(We might work this out)Well, we know we're in love so let's keep it alive(Keep it alive, keep it alive)(Tonight)I'm starting to see the morning lightWe finally worked this out **_

"You have great taste." He told her. She giggled, taking the ear bud back from him. "Thank you." Not only was she laughing at what Nick had said, but the way Joe had silently mimicked him from behind was pretty comical. The girl opened her mouth to introduce herself, but the warning bell rang just as she did.

"I better get to class." She said. "I'll walk you there." Nick offered, extremely eager to do so. "Great." She said with total confidence. "Let's go." After watching Nick take his new crush in what they knew was the exact opposite direction of his first class, they started heading where they needed to be.

"Man, and I thought with Macy absent we wouldn't have to deal with any JONAS-related catastrophes." Stella said, knowing how fast Nick moved when it came to relationships. Both his brothers sighed.

Stella shook her head. "This is going to be a _very_ long day…"

**Hope you liked it, there's more coming soon.**


	3. Betting On A Bet

_How's_ _school_? Stella's brown eyes squinted at the screen on her phone. Her eyes were having trouble focusing, since her ears were focusing on something else. The conversation between two of her best friends, as they came over to sit with her at the lunch table.

"Joe, you can't always get everything you want." "Sure I can." He told Nick. "Right Kevin?" There was a pause, and Stella rolled her eyes. "What'd you say? I'm sorry, I wasn't listening." Joe scoffed. What was up with that lately? Kevin never seemed to listen to him anymore.

"Why bother? He's just going on about how awesome he thinks he is, when everyone's already heard it a thousand times." Stella told Kevin, she hadn't even replied to her text message yet.

"Not exactly Stella. I was actually going on about how awesome everyone else thinks I am." Joe said with a self-righteous smile creeping across his face, an action that earned him more eye rolling, from everyone.

"Really?" Stella said. "You get on my nerves." She told him. This was the first time she realized she hadn't eaten anything since the boys sat down, so she took another few bites of her sandwich.

"Really?" Joe imitated, trying his best to actually sound like Stella. "If there's anyone you should be annoyed with right now it's Nick." Stella stopped typing her almost forgotten text reply when she heard what Joe said. "_Why?_" She asked. "Yeah, that's what I'd like to know." Nick replied.

"What are you talking about?" Joe asked. His eyes were wide in disbelief. "You brought it up!" "Here we go again." Kevin said. Stella laughed under a sigh. "Why does he always have to be right?"

"I _am _always right." Joe corrected. "This whole conversation started when _this guy _announced that he was gonna ask that girl out today." He said, pointing to Nick. Kevin and Stella's eyebrows shot up. "_Already_?" They both said. It wasn't too surprising.

Joe was smiling again, happy that Stella was back on his side. "No offense but… slow down, will you?!" Stella warned. Nick laughed. "Why should I? We sound like the perfect couple: This guy and… _that girl_." Everyone laughed, even though Nick had said these words dreamily, as if they sounded right to him.

"So, anyway, I bet that I could beat Nick at his own game." Joe informed. "And what's that?" Stella asked. "Crash and burn before you even go anywhere?" Regretfully, Nick glared at her. "Sorry." She said.

"The bet was to see if I could ask somebody out before Nick even builds up the courage to even attempt asking out… what's-her-face." Nick silently laughed at the way his brother said that. Kevin was confused, trying to figure out how Joe managed to make a bet out of that. Stella became even more annoyed, but she didn't say so.

"What does the winner get?" Stella asked them both. "_I _get fifty bucks." Joe informed. Stella rolled her eyes for a third time. "That's a waste of fifty bucks." Kevin said. Joe nodded. "Thanks for breaking that to Nick." "Actually, I was talking to you." Kevin replied, laughing a little. Stella and Nick laughed along with him.

Joe made a face. "What? I can win this bet so easily." "Prove it." Stella said angrily. "Go ask someone out right now." With that order from her, Joe opened his mouth to reply, but without having anything to say, closed it again. This happened three more times, Joe looking sadder and more scared by the second, his face pale.

"You all right there?" Kevin asked. He'd never seen that look before. Joe turned to him. "Of course I'm all right. Haven't you even seen a guy breathe before?" Nick snickered. "You seem like you're having trouble."

"I gonna go find a date now." Joe replied, ignoring Nick's comment. He got up quickly and left without pushing in his chair.

Stella leaned in over the table and whispered to Kevin: "I thought _you _were the only one whose voice got high when you were lying…" He shrugged in response. Nick laughed happily and got up as well. "This is great, he's a nervous wreck." Being so sure he was going to win the bet, Nick pushed Joe's chair in too as he left.

"Not having to pay for my date is gonna be awesome. Enjoy your lunch, guys." Nick said as he exited the cafeteria, sauntering since he had nothing to worry about. Kevin and Stella laughed as they watched him walk away.

Stella was no longer annoyed at all. "So, do you think Joe's gonna lose?" Kevin shrugged again. "I don't know." He didn't really care one way or the other, to him they were both being stupid.

"Ten bucks says he does!" She said happily. "Are you seriously betting me on this?" He asked. "Mmhm." She didn't see what was so wrong with that. "Okay." After a few seconds of eating in silence, Kevin had a thought. He just didn't realize he said what he was thinking out loud.

"Here's what I bet, it's got nothing to do with the money. You're just hoping he won't actually go on a date with some other girl…" Stella dropped her fork. "Some _other _girl? What's that supposed to mean?!"

Kevin looked up at her. He didn't feel like arguing. "Never mind. Are you going to reply to that text message any time soon?" Stella gasped quietly. "Oh, right. Macy…"

Being able to see the screen much easier this time, Stella backspaced the text she originally planned to send and typed: "I'm gonna win an easy $10!"


	4. Sore Winner

**Macy's point of view **

What was I supposed to say? Congratulations. I wanted to, but I

didn't have the energy to type that. _Cool, ttyl_. I felt like I was lying as I pushed send. I really didn't want to talk to anyone. It's not like they would be being annoying if they tried to talk to me. I can't be mad at my friends for trying to help me out.

I'm just worried about tomorrow. I really hope no one asks me what's wrong, I

wouldn't know what to tell them. What am I supposed to say? Honestly, I have no idea. I'm just not myself lately. So, why have friends of mine discuss problems with a stranger? It wouldn't be fair to them.

School's almost over for the day, and I missed everything. I missed talking fashion with Stella. I missed accidentally injuring the members of JONAS with sports equipment which, thankfully, I'

ve learned not to do anymore. Now when I see them, I know to stop and set my stuff down somewhere where it can't hurt anybody.

Speaking of sports, I'm even going to miss practice. But I'm too tired to worry about that now. I wonder what's going on at school…

Kevin was taking the books that he needed for homework out of his locker, when he saw Nick heading in his direction. The smile on his face became wider as he walked closer. Turning his head, Kevin saw why. The girl Nick had a crush on was standing at the front door, smiling back.

"So, you asked her out?" Nick's face fell when he was asked that question. "Not yet." "Oh." Kevin replied. "What are you waiting for?" He noticed Nick smile disappeared, and he knew the reason why.

Nick's crush had walked away. Kevin pointed, eyes wide in horror, so that Nick would turn around. "Precious." Is all he said when he did, disappointed. Now standing at his side, Kevin said: "I would call it 'pathetic and wrong', so you're

gonna have to elaborate on that one, 'cause I don't get it."

"She's Precious." Nick mumbled, watching her in her new spot, where she was talking happily with Joe. He

didn't seem to be a nervous wreck anymore. "It's nice that you think that about her." Kevin replied, wondering if Joe could feel the angry stares he was being given.

Nick sighed heavily. "Of course I think that about her." He said, his voice cracking in disbelief of what he was seeing. "But her _name _isPrecious." "Oh." Kevin mouthed, finally understanding.

Then Nick saw her smile. This smile was different and brighter than the one he'd been given. His heart sank, and even after that, her saying the words "It's a date." found a way to drive a stake right through it.

After saying goodbye, Joe slowly walked over to his brothers. Anger was building up inside Nick with every step he took. When he reached them, there was no satisfied smile present on his face. "We're going bowling Friday." He informed. Nick failed to notice the way he had to choke out the words, and how sad they came out when he finally managed to.

Without even thinking, Nick pushed Joe up against the row of lockers behind them. Kevin's locker was still open, so the edge dug into his back to the point where he was wincing in pain.

"Stella would really hate it if you messed up this shirt." Joe said, in a plea to make Nick let go of it. Nick's nails were scratching his skin, and he was begging for that to end. The money

didn't seem so important anymore.

Instead of listening, Nick slightly turned his head in Kevin's direction, where he stood in total shock. "Yeah, she would." He said through his teeth. His eyes full of hatred.

"Kevin, next time you see her, tell her I'm apologize for getting it all bloody!"

Joe could only manage to blurt out two words to try and get his brother to stop what he was about to do. All he came up with was: "Nicholas… violent." He could hardly breathe.

In response, Nick narrowed his eyes. Anyone in earshot knew the words that were about to come out of his mouth were not going to be pretty. His voice sounded twice as angry as it had the last time he spoke. "Joseph— " He

couldn't finish because Kevin's hand was over his mouth.

The anger drained from him then, when he realized what he was doing, and he released his grasp on Joe's shirt. Knowing he had calmed down, Kevin took his hand off Nick's mouth. Joe was still too shocked to move.

While he stood there breathing heavily, he watched Nick take out his wallet. "Listen closely." He ordered, taking out a fifty dollar bill. "This is the last thing I'm going to say to you for a very long time." He told Joe, handing him the money and putting his wallet back in his pocket.

"You win." With that, he walked away. Joe looked at his older brother weakly, fear and confusion still in his eyes. Mostly sadness was visible though, as he looked around at all the people who had witnessed what went on.

"Then why do I feel like such a loser?"

**How was that? There's more coming soon!**


	5. Echoes

**The rest of the day went by slowly. Nick was keeping his promise of not talking to Joe, and Kevin was silent out of nervousness. He just had the feeling someone was going to ask him for advice soon.**

**At the dinner table, when Tom asked his sons how the day went, Nick automatically responded that he didn't want to talk about it. He could tell from that statement that something was obviously wrong, but he didn't want to put the blame for that on anyone without even knowing what happened. Especially since no one seemed to mind that Nick didn't want to talk.**

**Even though everyone ate in silence, with Sandy occasionally shooting concerned glances at her husband and boys to try to get them to speak, Joe's plate stayed full. Moments like this were the ones where Kevin hated being the older brother, especially with Frankie mouthing 'what happened' and 'tell me' to him every five seconds.**

**Joe went up to bed as soon as everyone else was done with dinner. He wrapped up his plate and put it in the fridge, even though he had no intention of eating it. Doing this of course, only made his parents worry more.**

**If that wasn't enough, Nick slept on the floor in Frankie's room that night, having no desire to be anywhere near Joe. Tom and Sandy were practically begging for Kevin to tell them what the problem was. He obviously didn't want to talk about it either, since he didn't say a word.**

**Normally he would have, even though he never expected to be confronted for a situation like this. Shock and fear kept him quiet. He was getting that feeling again. This time it was worse, and the rain hadn't even started yet. He took that as a good sign, maybe the forecast had been wrong.**

**At around four in the morning, it started pouring out of nowhere. It wasn't the rain that woke Kevin up, because he was having a hard enough time sleeping anyway. Once again the walls were closing in, and he opened his bloodshot eyes expecting to find some stranger standing right next to him.**

**Thankfully, that didn't happen. But the fear he felt was enough to make him get out of bed and go to the window again. Nothing but rain. That's all he could see. Unlike the night before, there was no lightning. Kevin was staring out the window in total darkness, too afraid of what could be out there to notice.**

**Another difference from the previous night was that this time, he could swear he heard footsteps. They were slow, and they echoed through the street. They seemed to be getting closer with ever passing second. Pretty soon the echoes were much too slow to keep up with Kevin's heart rate.**

**I know this is shorter than my other chapters, but there's more to come. Thanks for reading!**


	6. Failed Attempts At Total Honesty

"I cannot _believe _you!" Stella didn't seem to notice that Kevin jumped about a mile when she came up to him and Joe the next morning, at their lockers. He was still paranoid after what he'd experienced the night before, even though the footsteps that had his heart racing eventually stopped, and then started up again about ten times as fast… in the opposite direction. It was still creepy, but he was thankful nothing bad had happened.

Joe knew that outburst was directed at him, but he didn't respond. He stood still, not making eye contact. "Would you _care _to explain to me what you could _possibly _be thinking when you did this?" He still said nothing, his blank stare remaining unchanged when he heard Macy come up quietly behind Stella. He kept his eyes on the floor.

Stella was shaking her head. "Who cares about winning a stupid bet _so_ much that they would backstab their own brother to do so?" Macy's jaw dropped. That was the first thing Joe saw when he finally looked up.

He took deep breath in frustration. "When Nick brought up the bet, I figured I had to take it. And once I did, I figured I had to win." "So you did that by eliminating his _only chance _at winning?!" Joe shrugged innocently. His tone was serious. "I'm sorry that his latest _instant crush _said yes to me. It's not like I wanted Nick's heart to get broken. Again."

In response, Stella glared, slapping his arm. Joe wasn't in physical pain though. When Stella came up with a reply, her voice was shaking. "Precious didn't break his heart. You did. How could you?" She looked and sounded like she was about to cry.

Joe gave her a weak look, one worse then the one Kevin saw the previous day. "Because." He looked at everyone standing there with him, wishing Nick was there so he could try to understand. "… Sometimes I agree to things I don't want to agree to." He hung his head again after admitting this.

"Really?" There was that word again, the one Joe hated hearing. It made talking so much more difficult, like she was accusing him of being a liar. "What are you trying to do Joe, please everybody?" He swallowed hard but stayed silent. Before walking away, Stella made sure to let him know of something she thought was very important. "Because you do a really bad job of that, just so you know."

She flashed a fake smile and then turned around to leave. She didn't get too far, seeing that her best friend was standing right behind her. She spoke in a slow, calm tone. "Absent one day and… you miss everything. Wow."

Stella sighed. "I'm glad I won't have to repeat that story to you." She said, thinking she should have said something a lot nicer, something to welcome Macy back would have been much better.

Throughout the whole time she was saying this regretted sentence, Joe was clenching his teeth harder and harder, in anger and disbelief. "You don't get it!" Kevin, Stella and Macy all looked at him strangely. He was looking right at Stella. "Of all people _you _don't get it!" She had no idea what he was talking about. "No, I really don't."

Hearing that, Joe glared at her. "And you're the one person who's supposed to. You're the person who should know that the most." Before Stella could say anything other than the shocked, confused stutters she squeaked out while trying to, Joe walked away.

Turning to watch him leave, Macy really couldn't stand it. She felt sorry for him and began to follow. "Where are you going?!" Stella snapped, not really meaning to. "I'm gonna go see if he's okay." Macy replied quietly, turning to go. Stella made a face, even though she couldn't see it. "Why bother?!"

"Is that what you're always wondering?!" That was the loudest Kevin had ever heard Macy be to one of her friends, it surprised him. She started walking back, still talking in the process. "You never want to take any chances. _What_… are you afraid something _good _might happen?

What Macy was saying didn't make any sense to Stella, but Kevin understood exactly what she meant. He smiled at her honesty. Macy continued talking, shocking nearly everyone who could hear. "Joe's your best friend, so what I can't understand is… _why_ every time it comes to him, you say "_Why bother_?"

Forcing a laugh, Stella replied. "He's not my best friend anymore." Macy raised her eyebrows in fake amusement. "You can say whatever you want…"

She crossed her arms and couldn't help but smile knowing she was right when she told Stella: "Kevin and I know the real reason why you're mad."

**Can you figure out what everyone's failed attempt at total honesty in this chapter is? Even Kevin has one. It'll become clearer as the story goes, but it has to do with Stella's favorite words right now "why bother". **

**Thanks for reading, I'll update soon!**


	7. Little Relief, Lots Of Remorse

**I know I probably should have said this before but I DO NOT OWN JONAS. (just in case) Or Diet Coke, lol. You'll see what I mean.**

Macy wasn't fast enough to catch up with Joe, which surprised her because, even if she didn't like to brag about it, she was a great runner. She guessed that he got away quickly because his frustration fueled him. She would just have to talk to him later, at lunch.

When lunchtime rolled around, Joe didn't even dare go into the cafeteria. Sitting at his usual table were two people who thought he was a cheater, a liar, a backstabber, just about any bad name he could imagine. He knew he wouldn't be welcome. So, he sat on the steps in the hallway with his head in his hand, wondering how he could do something so mean and stupid. People passed by and no one seemed to notice.

"I get it." There was no need to look behind him to see that it was Macy talking, since she sat down next to him after she said that. "You do?" He asked, taking his hand off his face and turning to her. She nodded. "Should I take that as a good sign or a bad sign?" He asked.

"It's a good sign." Macy replied. Joe had to disagree. "It doesn't seem like such a good sign when Stella, the person who's supposed to know exactly what I mean doesn't… and you do." Luckily, Macy knew how to make her point. "Stella should know why you agree to things for a different reason. She actually experienced one of those times." Joe nodded, like that was obvious. I can just relate… sort of." "_How_?" He whispered. Since she was right there next to him, there was no need to be loud.

Macy didn't know how to explain herself, she was nervous and a little afraid to. She opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off by a stifled, shaky, stuttered breath from Joe. When he clenched his fists tightly, closed his eyes and turned away, she knew exactly what to say. "Because… sometimes I feel like _that_."

Inside, Stella and Nick were sitting at their table in silence. Kevin didn't say anything either, but he somehow managed to be louder than the two of them. He wondered where Macy and his brother were. "Can I sit with you guys?"

Nick's eyes darted up at the sound of Precious's voice. She was standing there with a hopeful smile on her face, and she had just walked in. "Uhh, sure." He said, not sounding even half as excited as he did when he talked to her the day before. With that, she took the seat between him and Stella, where Joe would usually be sitting. "Hi." She said calmly. She was talking to everybody, but looked right at Nick, sensing the tension.

Kevin and Stella both greeted her back, but Nick said nothing. He was deep in thought, trying to figure out how he would ever get over what was going on. His crush was sitting right next to him and he couldn't even enjoy her company. He felt miserable.

Without saying a word, Precious pushed something towards him. He only knew because it bumped into him lightly. What could it be? It felt cold. He looked up to see, finally smiling. Diet Coke. He gave her a look in confusion. "Where did you get this?"

"I brought it from home." She replied. "It's for you." She knew she was stating the obvious, but she was just trying to cheer him up. "Thank you." He said, not really understanding why she had given him the soda.

She smiled brightly. "What are you guys doing Friday?" Stella laughed superficially, not responding. "No plans." Kevin told Precious. "Not everyone can get a date as easily as _some people_." Stella mumbled.

Precious breathed in a sigh, trying not to upset Stella any more. She hoped what she said next would actually make her happy. "Yeah, I don't know how up for that date Joe's gonna be." "What do you mean?" Nick and Kevin said at the same time.

"When I passed by the steps coming here, he looked… upset to say the least." She told them. "Really?" Came Stella's reply. Kevin and Nick both groaned in frustration, although Precious didn't know why. They were getting tired of that line too.

"Did you try to cheer him up?" Nick wondered out loud, since she sounded pretty upset about it. He wondered how she would react if she found out she was going on a date because of a bet, but he kept that thought inside his head.

"Macy was already taking care of that." _Oh. So that's where she is_. Kevin thought. "If she wasn't over there, would you talk to him?" Stella asked, sounding annoyed. Precious was a little hurt by this, but she answered anyway.

"Well, yeah. I wouldn't just let him sit there and cry."

**Thanks for reading, I'll update soon!**


	8. Eavesdropping

**I DO NOT OWN JONAS**

**Joe's Point Of View**

I know Macy saw the tears coming. Honestly, anyone who paid a speck of attention would have been able to tell I was about to cry from a mile away. I felt like a total idiot crying in school, but at least she didn't make it any worse. Instead of saying anything else to make me feel better once that happened, she just stayed there.

She stayed there while I rambled on about who-knows-what and didn't say anything afterwards. She just listened. She just let me vent. Then she watched me walk away. I needed that.

At the end of the day, I saw Macy by her locker. I was gonna go over and thank her, but I saw that she was already talking to Kevin. Actually, he was talking to her, she wasn't saying anything. I could tell that from the worried look on his face. I hid behind the wall on the side of the lockers. Kevin didn't even notice.

"So, are you okay? I mean, what happened yesterday?" That what everyone wanted to know. I knew something was wrong. She seemed a lot less excited than normal. I didn't exactly mind that, at least she wasn't freaking my out anymore, but I'd take that over her being upset any day. She is my friend after all.

"I'm fine." Was all she said. I didn't believe it. I _couldn't_ believe it. Sure, she said that but she definitely didn't sound it.

"Are you?" Kevin asked, obviously not convinced. Good for him, he's not _that _clueless. Whoa, even the voice in my head sounded harsh saying that.

"Because I don't see you smiling." He dragged that sentence out, like that was the only way she'd be able to understand what he was saying. It was kind of babyish, like he thought she _was _a baby or something. "Smile for me." He said.

It was the fakest smile I never saw. "See? That's how I know something's wrong." He told her. "I'm fine." She repeated, I wondered who she was trying to convince. At that point, I felt like I was being stared at. Not the good kind of stare either.

I turned to see Nick behind me. He looked at the floor when he saw me, still mad as ever I'm guessing.

**Nick's Point Of View**

I'm not the one who made my older brother cry, right? If I am, then the guilt's eating me alive. I'm still angry with him, but I'm mad at myself too. So, I just listen to the conversation between Kevin and Macy.

His eyes aren't good at hiding hurt. I never noticed that before. Maybe Macy only has that affect on him. It's all I can concentrate on, since the both don't say anything for a few agonizing seconds.

Kevin crossed his arms. "I'm not leaving until you tell me what's going on." His tone was very serious. It shocked me. I'm sure it shocked Joe too, but I was still staring at the floor in shame.

*SLAM!* That was Macy's locker. And the quiet paranoid squeak that followed? That was me. I didn't think I could be any more shocked.

"I don't want to yell at you." Macy said to Kevin. "I would hate it if I you did." Kevin admitted, sounding confused. "But I would also hate it if I couldn't help you with your problem." Good man, looking out for his friend.

"What makes you think I have a problem? I think _you're_ the one with the problem." Looking up, I could see that, like the two of us, Kevin was taken aback by what she said. "Excuse me?" He asked. "No, excuse _me_!" I watched Macy pushed past him and run for the front door.

Joe looked at me, bewildered. "Has someone taken over her body?" I was starting to think so. By the time Kevin turned around, she was already gone. We could hear the door slam from where we were standing.

Joe ran out right after that, determined to catch up to her. I was still speechless standing in the middle of the hallway, and Kevin had no idea what was going on.

**Macy's Point Of View**

I locked the door behind me as soon as I reached the thrift store and got in. I was in the middle of trying to figure out how I could be so mean when Joe showed up;

He was trying to be fair, I guess. The thing was, I didn't really feel like talking. If I did, he could repay the favor and just listen. "Will you let me in?" He pleaded. I bet he had no idea how dramatic that sounds.

**Joe's Point Of View**

It's a good thing she listened, I was cold. Macy backed away from the door and let me come in. She was standing at the counter, but come closer to me when I walked in. I wondered if she was gonna tell me something. She didn't look like she wanted to talk.

"He doesn't get it either." She saidcsadly. I laughed, mostly out of nervousness. I only sounded nervous 'cause I wasn't expecting her to hug me.

Also because I can see all the way to the back door, where Kevin, Nick and Stella are standing. Both my brothers seem concerned but at least happy Macy might feel better after hugging me.

Stella just looks devastated…

**Sorry it just keeps going from person to person, but I really felt like getting inside their heads. I'll update soon, thanks for reading!**


	9. Rainy Day Part One

**I DO NOT OWN JONAS**

The next day was Thursday, the worst day of the week for Macy so far. Monday had been a normal day, like all the others. The days she was used to, the ones she liked. But then the rain started. The night turned her into someone she didn t recognize.

In the morning, she remembered stumbling over to her mirror and seeing bloodshot eyes on a tearstained face. She was too tired to move any further and somehow managed to act like she was perfectly fine for the time Stella was over.

Coming back to school was hard, as she expected. It was the middle of the school week and she was lost, from trying to catch up on assignments and her struggle with helping Joe out. It was hard for her to think she did I good job cheering him up when she was such a wreck herself.

When he came to repay the favor and comfort her, she felt that comfort wasn t something she deserved.

She had no idea what she could say to Kevin after how she treated him, so she avoided talking to him the entire day. It was much harder to make someone feel better while being the cause of their pain.

Practice had been planned for that day after school, but it was rained out.

Do you know why we re here? Stella asked Macy as they reached the door of the firehouse. She was holding the umbrella that the two of them stood under and talking in a calm tone. To Macy, she sounded almost like a psychiatrist.

I hope it s so I can apologize. She replied, while Stella rang the doorbell. People could hear it on both sides of the door. Joe opened it quickly after, since he was right there in the kitchen.

Oh, what a nice surprise. He said to the two girls as they walked in. Nick entered the room then, smiling at Stella and Macy. Where s Kevin? Stella asked after hesitation, thinking Macy would have asked that.

He s coming. Nick replied. Kevin! Joe called up the stairs, wondering what was taking so long.

Kevin was upstairs, pacing the floor. He was trying to decide if his stalker only came around when it rained. If they did, that would be an awkward moment. He guessed that it was better for them to show up in daylight though, when other people were awake.

Or maybe there was no stalker. Maybe it was all in his head. Maybe it was only a dream. That thought wasn t too comforting. In fact, it made things worse for him. Why would anyone want to dream about being stalked?

He knew he had dreamed that, at least once, at a time when it wasn t raining. This made it even harder to separate dream from reality though.

Kevin! He heard again. This time it was Nick. Reality was he was wanted downstairs, so he decided for the time being that s all that would matter.

There was no one he could tell anyway.

Uh, coming! He replied finally. Fire poles were much more convenient and quick then taking the stairs. They were a lot cooler too, in his opinion.

What took you so long? Joe inquired. He had already eaten half an apple by this point. I forgot how my feet work. Kevin joked. An eruption of giggles came from Macy when he said that. Everyone looked at her.

It wasn t that funny. Stella mumbled. Did you see the look on his face? Macy whispered in reply. Kevin had this beaming smile on his face. That was a real laugh, something he was expecting not to hear from her for a long time.  
Ooh! Stella said, like a light bulb turned on above her head. Her friends looked at her to elaborate. Joe, I have to make you something for your date tomorrow.

You don t have to. He replied. I ve got plenty of stuff to wear. Thanks anyway. Stella didn t seem content with that answer. I insist. Now go find me some paper and a pencil. Can I at least finish my apple first? Besides you just got here, and

I said now ! She interrupted, dragging him along up the stairs. They were yelling at each other the whole way up there, while the others just watched in amusement, laughing. Your claws are digging into my skin, bossy! Be a man, deal with it! He groaned. How did I get myself into this? You met me, that s how! What a horrible day that was. He joked. Please, that was the best day of your life

As Kevin, Nick and Macy s laughter died down, the doorbell rang again. Stalkers don t ring doorbells, do they? Kevin thought. Nick walked over to the door and locked out before opening it. Huh. He said. Great timing.

Precious was standing there, and she gave him her usual smile when he opened the door. The smile that made his heart melt. Hey. How are you on this rainy day? She asked, giggling at her own little rhyme.

Spectacular. He replied. His tone wasn t sarcastic either. Oh. Fantastic, me too. Not to be rude or anything, but what are you doing here? Nick asked quietly, trying to keep their conversation private. I came to see you. She answered, not realizing it at first. When she did, she was praying he wouldn t find that awkward.

Nick blushed. Knowing that, he cleared his throat. She blushed back and they both froze, confused. Precious didn t let herself be nervous. She whispered a question in Nick s ear, an enthusiastic expression on her face.

Nick looked back at Kevin and Macy. They were still standing in the same spots as before when he went to answer the door, having no clue what was going on.

I m going out, okay? He said simply. Neither of them could believe it. In this rain? Macy asked. He nodded, beaming. Are you crazy? Kevin asked him, shaking his head. Yeah! He answered under laughs, running out the door.

When the door closed only Macy and Kevin were left in the kitchen. Somebody had to break the silence. I m really sorry about how I treated you yesterday. She told him. It s okay. As long as Macy was happy, he was happy too. Or at least he should have been, but he couldn t stop worrying about his stalker problem. He wondered if Macy could tell what he was thinking.

So, Macy began, playing with her hair a little while she talked. What s on your mind lately, Kevin? He paused, eyes wide in disbelief. It was scary how she knew how to get to him. Before answering her, he took a deep breath in.

"I'll tell you everything." He said to her. "As long as you promise to tell me what's going on with you…"

**I loved writing this chapter and I m going to work really hard on the next one. I ll try to update soon, I m going away Friday. Thanks for reading!**


	10. Rainy Day Part Two

**I DO NOT OWN JONAS**

"So, what do you think?" "I think this is pointless." Joe replied, yawning. He was lying on his bed, paying no attention to what Stella was talking about. "Are you even looking at the designs I drew here?" She was fed up, giving him looks to prove it.

"Nope." He said honestly, laughing. Stella got mad and threw down the paper. It scattered everywhere. "Do you even care about all the work I would put into these clothes for you?!"

Joe sat up and looked Stella straight in the eye. "No, I don t." He said bluntly.

Suddenly, she charged closer to him, and he backed up and fear like she was going to attack. "Fine. But do me this one favor since it ll be the only thing _you_ did for _me_ today." He stared at her blankly, in anticipation.

"Tell me why." She ordered, hurt talking over the anger in her voice.

Joe got off his bed and stood so that they were face to face. "Because I don t want to go on this date anyway." He admitted.

**Precious s Point Of View**

Nick Lucas, you're an amazing singer and this sweet, shy person who loves to rock! And I also think you could be a great friend and you've got a great family and friends. I wanna be your girlfriend, OBVIOUSLY, because you make feel so right and so good. You could be my everything! You make my heart stop and at the same time beat so hard... Having you with me makes me feel like I know true love. I want u so bad but u don't see it, all because I was afraid to say no to your brother. He's a nice guy, but he s not you.

Those are the words I can't say.

Precious and Nick walked side by side in the rain, talking the whole time they walked to the local music store. They were sharing the umbrella she brought, laughing about how she loved bowling, but wasn t the greatest at it.

"I bet you could beat me in bowling." Nick told Precious. He hated using the word 'bet' , ever since the one he'd lost. "I could not!" She replied, laughing. "You re probably amazing at bowling. You re amazing at everything, actually." She quickly rephrased herself, at first not wanting to sound to lovesick, but then deciding against it.

"You're just amazing." The statement made Nick stop in his tracks. _Not amazing enough_. He thought. _Joe won, not me_. "Thank you." Was all he said, dryly. Precious did her best to shake off the hurt.

The bell on the door to the music store rang when it opened. Nick held it for Precious, and she thanked him with a smile that was, for once, hard to form. She hated that he was angry, she knew that was her fault.

The guy behind the counter was very surprised to see costumers, especially since Nick was one of them. "What're you guys looking for?" He asked casually. When he asked that, Precious thought of a way to cheer Nick up.

"I'm gonna buy you drumsticks." She told him happily, as if it wasn t his choice to decide whether he wanted them or not. He did, badly. It was time for some new ones. Nick just didn t want Precious spending money on him like that, she liked her too much.

"You don t have to." _Your company is good enough. What more do I need_? He was pretty she he was staring at her, the way he had the whole walk there. She didn t seem to notice.

"I know that, but I m going to." She insisted. "With your name." _Your beautiful, beautiful name_. "Engraved." She added. "In gold!" The clerk raised his eyebrows and Nick was blushing. Really blushing. Blushing so much it was impossible to hide.

He wasn t sure if she was joking when she said those things, but he replied with: "Fine, then I m buying you this whole wall of guitars." Precious burst out laughing. "Nick, I don t even play guitar!"

"I don't care." He said, laughing too. "They're for show." They were both giggling by that point. Under laughs, Precious said: "You're so funny, I love you." She was almost laughing too hard to think about what she had said. After awhile she realized what it was, seeing the look on Nick s face. Total shock.

He was shocked because he heard those words every day, and wished he could believe them coming from her. She was shocked because they had actually come out of her mouth, and she desperately wished he could accept that.

"I've been having trouble sleeping." Kevin admitted to Macy. They were sitting at his kitchen counter. He was in the same place he had been when he stared out into the rain Monday night.

At first, Macy was going to respond. She decided she would let him tell his story first and then have her turn. "Why?" She asked, looking at him with a sympathetic look in her eyes. "It s not my fault, is it?" She asked, gulping.

"No." He replied, tapping the empty glass of juice he had to drink. He sounded sure of that. Kevin sighed heavily, and said what he needed to say. Someone had to know. Why not Macy? She was a great friend to him, not just a fan. She might be able to help him cope, just by listening.

"I feel like I m being watched." He whispered, his voice quivering. He was thinking about it, there was never a moment that what was happening didn t scare him. The topic they were on was tough for Macy to handle too. She didn t look at him directly after that.

He went on, despite how hard it was to do so. "At first I thought it was nothing to worry about, even with it being so scary, but then..." He didn t finish his sentence, shaking. The memory of what went on was with him, he could still hear the footsteps.

"Then what?" Macy was weakly urging Kevin to continue with his story, even though she was scared to hear more. "Then on Tuesday night I heard footsteps." He answered quickly. She understood perfectly fine though.

"Footsteps?" She echoed, sounding more scared than he did. Without looking at her, he nodded. Her eyes were wide in horror. "How could you hear them though the rain?" She asked him, staring straight forward since she couldn't bear to look at him either.

That question made a lot of sense to him. It gave him relief. "Maybe I didn't." He replied. Macy looked confused, but relieved as well. Kevin was able to turn and look at Macy again after that, thinking the footsteps he heard were just his imagination. It felt weird to not look at her while they talked.

"All I know is, if I do have a stalker I hope they don t break into my house." He laughed, out of nervousness. Macy didn t think there was anything funny about it.

"So, what s going on with you, Macy?" He asked. "Is it as scary and disturbing as my problem, or is it just like some guy you like who s totally oblivious or something like that?"

Macy blinked. She wasn t sure how to answer that shocking question. He was one good guesser. "My problem is I wish I didn t have a problem." She admitted after some thought. She felt like she was being unfair to him, being so vague.

"That's not a problem." Kevin argued. "But if it was, then we would have the same problem." He added, laughing a little. "What s the real problem?" He asked, wondering why she was shutting him out all of a sudden.

She really seemed to hate this discussion they were having. "I don t think I should talk to you about it. I mean, you already have your own problem to deal with. I don t wanna--"

"Macy!" He wasn t really yelling at her, he just didn t like how she was acting. She promised she would tell him what was going on. When she stared at him then, shocked by how loud he got, there was only one thing he could say.

"Why don't you trust me?" The sad whisper was barely heard by Macy's ringing ears. They'd been ringing like that on and off since... since Monday night. She had to think about it, the noise was really irritating and painful. Just about the only thing she could hear sometimes.

"I do trust you." She sounded like she was begging for him to believe her. "Then what s going on?" He asked her.

"I don't want to scare you. Macy whispered. _Too late_. "You re scaring me by not telling me what your problem is!" He couldn t take her acting the way she was. It made him so mad, not being able to help.

He was closer to crying then he was the time he made _her_ cry. She was breathing hard but silent. He couldn t even tell. She looked at him, crushed by how she was making him feel.

Despite how much she wanted to stay, she was feeling to out of place to begin with. She didn t belong anywhere discussing something she couldn t even explain to herself. Macy got up, keeping her eyes on Kevin as she walked toward the front door. Reaching it, she turned so she was facing him completely.

"I know I promised to tell you what s wrong, but I haven t even figured it out for myself. Besides, it s not even your fault. You don t have to try and help me out." She told him, turning the doorknob and letting the wind make the door fly open.

Before leaving, Macy tried her best to choke back tears and said: "Don't feel sorry for me, Kevin." Tears came pouring out of her eyes just like the rain outside. "Just because you're my problem, doesn t mean I have to be yours. It s not like you mean to always be the reason why I cry."

Getting to sleep was ten times as hard as it normally was for Kevin that night. He was still just as worried about his possible stalker, but now he couldn't get Macy off his mind. What had he done to make her cry? He was never mean to her, he would hate to fight, so what was going on?

Whatever it was kept him up for hours. Hours after everyone went to bed. The rain had stopped long before anyone went to sleep, but there were puddles everywhere, he knew that. At around 1:30 in the morning, Kevin actually got up and went outside.  
He had no idea what he was doing. All he knew was that he was crazy. If he had a stalker, what was he doing outside at night? It was like he was looking for trouble.

That s exactly what he found. Looking around with bloodshot eyes, it was a very troubling feeling to spot one high-heeled shoe lying in a puddle, right outside his bedroom window. He wished that this was just his imagination too, but it was real.

Shivering, he picked the shoe up and held it carefully. Studying it, he saw traces of dried blood on the inside. As if this situation wasn't creepy enough. Looking closer, he realized the shoe was custom made.

Kevin s stalker was Cinderella, but he was too freaked out to even think about playing Prince Charming.

**Thanks for reading! Tell me what you think, there s more coming soon.**


	11. Never Say Never

**I DO NOT OWN JONAS. This chapter is dedicated to my neighbor and best friend T.J., since it's about bowling and smiley fries, two things we both love. (French fries in the shape of a smiley face. Genius.)**

"I have a plan." Stella announced. She was standing in the middle of her bedroom floor, while Macy sat on her bed. Macy didn't hear at first, her ears were ringing again. She was also too upset about having to avoid Kevin for the second day in a row to even pay any attention to what Stella was saying.

"Are you listening to me?" Stella asked after sometime. She had began explaining the details but Macy hadn't heard a word. She didn't even respond then.

"_Hello_… come back to Earth, will you?" "Joe says that." Macy replied automatically. Stella scoffed and gave Macy a weird look. "Stop going off topic! Wait," She said after some thought, "you're not going off topic." Hearing that, Macy was interested in the conversation. She looked up.

"What's the plan?" She asked quietly, seeing the evil smirk on Stella's face. "You're not going to ruin Joe's date tonight, are you?"

Stella seemed appalled by that assumption. "_No_. Besides, it's not a real date." She rolled her eyes on the last word of her sentence. "Just don't hurt his feelings, whatever you do. He's had enough of that already."

"I wouldn't do that, what makes you think I would do that?" Macy could tell Stella was nervous by the way she spoke, like she wasn't going to listen. "You shouldn't be jealous of a date that isn't even real." Macy advised.

She yawned and lied back on Stella's bed. Her feet was still touching the floor but she felt like she wanted to go to sleep right there. _When are these sleepless nights gonna stop?_ She asked herself, feeling sick and tired of being sick and tired. She didn't let her voice show that though.

"Besides, Joe's taken." Stella almost fainted when she heard that. "Since when?! By who?!" She demanded to know, obviously angry.

Macy sat up again, smiling. It was funny how Stella could be so blind. "Since he was two years old, by you!"

Annoyed, Stella picked up a pillow that was on the floor and threw it at Macy. "You scared me for a second." Macy caught the pillow and started laughing when she took a look at it. It was yellow and had the word 'DANGER' on it. "Nice." She commented.

Stella shrugged. "Couldn't resist." "Do you have more stuff like this?" Macy wondered out loud, thinking it was an obsessive fan-girl sort of thing. That surprised her. "Maybe…" Stella replied, which obviously meant yes.

She went over to her desk, which was covered in the designs for what Joe could have worn on the date. She had gotten over the fact that he didn't want to use any of the designs, but was forcing him to go on the date no matter how much he argued. Shifting through the pile, Stella found what she was looking for. A key.

"What's that for?" Macy asked, watching her jingle it out of boredom. "It's to the firehouse." She replied. "What do you need it for?" Stella sighed. "Well, since you don't want me to be jealous and ruin the fake date I guess… nothing." She answered, hanging the key up on a nail by her door.

"Let's just go hang out with them until it's time for Joe's date." Stella suggested as she walked into the hallway. "Maybe while we're over there you can apologize to Kevin again." She added, without really wanting to.

Macy froze when she heard that. It almost made her want to cry, nothing was going right. But she stopped herself. By then her ears were ringing so loud that she didn't even hear the key fall of the nail, and drop into her shoe as she walked out the door.

When the girls reached the firehouse, Macy was complaining of foot pain. That was strange, since she never complained. The Lucas brothers said it would be fine if she took off her shoes. She did, but she never found the key.

She didn't exactly have a good time. That fact that she was actually in her favorite band's house just to hang out for the second day in a row didn't matter to her. Not while Kevin was still upset.

Hours later, it was time for Joe's date. The girls went home, but not before Stella whispered her new plan in Nick's ear. It sounded crazy, but he'd been going along with crazy ever since his secret outing on a rainy day with Precious. Good crazy, of course.

As Precious expected, there wasn't a bell on the door to the bowling alley. Even if there had been, it wouldn't sound as good as it had in the music store with Nick. Joe didn't hold the door for her, either. He was lagging behind, thinking about something. Stella, Precious guessed. _Why didn't he just ask her out instead of me_?

Joe was more terrible than he could've imagined, he kept rolling gutter bowls or he would knock pins down that were in other lanes. Precious expected him to be distracted, she could tell from his expression that his mind was in another place, but she had no idea he would be this bad.

Unlike him, Precious kept getting spares and strikes. She knew that was happening because thinking about Nick gave her more confidence and a competitive edge. She wished he could be there to see how great she was doing.

After awhile, Joe got so annoyed with the way he was playing, that he sat down in a slump and let out a huge groan in frustration. It was muffled by the sweaty hands that covered his face. "Hey, Joe. How's the game going?"

With his hands still over his face, he complained: "Great. I'm playing so bad that I'm hearing things." The reply to that mumbled statement was a warm laugh. Stella understood exactly what he said. "Look at me." She said. He never heard her sound like that. So quiet, so sad.

He listened, of course. She stood there right in front of him, looking as she always had in his eyes. Absolutely beautiful. He didn't think she was there for bowling, she looked like she was going to the prom. It was the second time that week she'd left him completely speechless.

"What are you doing here?" He asked. He didn't mean to sound as annoyed as he did, but he was still so frustrated over everything. If he was going to be that way, Stella knew exactly how to respond. "I'm here with… my date."

"Nooooo!" Everyone in the bowling alley shot confused glances at Joe after that. He had to come up with some kind of cover, especially with the look he was getting from Stella. "Um, I… uh, was just… thinking about how they're all out of smiley fries. I like those." Stella nodded, not really understanding.

"So, who's your date?" He asked, trying to sound casual. Precious came over at that point, concerned. "I think you know him." Stella replied simply. That didn't make Joe feel any better. Just then Joe's younger brother appeared, grinning wide. The sound of a bowling ball crashing to the floor made Nick look at Precious.

The ball rolled to his feet and he picked it up for her. "Here." He said, handing it over. "Thanks." Precious whispered, unable to hide her sadness. _This has to be some kind of joke_. She kept saying to herself. After awhile, she said those words so much they actually came out of her mouth.

"I hope." Joe replied, thinking out loud too. "This was her idea." Nick told him, almost laughing. "Are you _trying _to ruin my life?" Joe asked Stella, standing up.

"Why would I wanna do that?" She asked. "Just because you ruined his?" She asked, pointing to Nick. "Oh, you know how it goes. The girl _never_ likes him back." Joe replied bluntly. He regretted the words even more then when he had thought of them, after seeing Nick's reaction.

He wasn't mad that his secret was out, but he felt miserable because he thought Joe was right.

"I must really be something special then." Precious whispered, putting her hands on the spot where Nick had touched the bowling ball. To her surprise, he overheard. "What do you mean?" He asked, walking closer to her.

"Well, Nick… I'm the girl in this situation, right?" He nodded slowly, looking right at her. "Then Joe should learn." She replied, a smile forming on her face. "Never say never."

Jaws dropped. Nick was staring at her in amazement. The others were very happy to hear that. Precious didn't understand why. "Why are you so happy? Didn't you ask me out?" Of course Joe had done that, but Precious thought the only reason was because he didn't have the courage to ask out Stella.

Joe figured it was time to come clean. He looked at Stella before looking at Precious again. "Yeah, but… it was sort of a… bet." Precious was no longer smiling. In fact, she felt like throwing the bowling ball at somebody. She didn't know who she was more upset with.

Tears welled up in her eyes. "Wait. You mean this was all just a contest to see how could get to me first? And then what? Dump me?" She looked at Nick, tears rolling down her cheeks. "You don't even care about me." It wasn't a question.

Nick held up his hands defensively. "Look, when someone says 'let me explain', you're supposed to let them. So please, give me a chance." He pleaded, panicking and deeply hurt. Precious had no idea who she sounded exactly like when she said: "Why bother?!" Through all the crying.

"Because it matters!" Joe yelled, tired of hearing that. Both girls were startled, Nick was expecting that. "It matters whether or not Nick cares about you and, trust me, he does. Probably more than anyone ever can." Joe explained.

Precious wiped her eyes, but she still sounded said. "And what about you?" She asked Joe. "Do you care?" Joe always wanted to laugh since she really had to ask that. She seemed like she thought caring was impossible for him.

"I'm not heartless, I'm in love!" He told everyone. "But not with me, right?" Precious asked, pretty sure of what the answer was. She didn't notice Stella frozen where she stood. "No." He replied honesty. "Oh, good." Precious said. Nick laughed silently. "No offense." She added, laughing along with him.

"I think _I'm_ hearing things." Stella said, walking up to Joe slowly. "You always hear things," Joe told her, "but you don't ever really listen." Precious and Nick turned to stand side by side and watch the other two talking.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Stella asked. She sounded almost scared. "You know," Joe began, "Love makes you do crazy things. For instance, do you know why I agree to things I don't want to agree to?" Stella had no clue what to give as a guess, so she said nothing.

"It's a tough habit to break." Joe went on, thinking love really must make people do crazy things since he kept on explaining. "I don't say what I want to, I say what I think you want to hear."

Stella was shocked. That was the saddest, stupidest, yet nicest thing she ever heard. "Remember when you asked if we should stay out of each other's personal lives?" Still speechless, Stella let him continue. "If I would've said what I was thinking, this is what you would've heard: That's a terrible idea, that's the worst idea I've ever heard."

He had to stop and take a breath, he was talking so fast. "I don't want to stay out of your personal life. I want to _be _your personal life!" He confessed. By that point, he didn't care if everyone in the bowling alley heard. At least she did, and there were stars in her eyes.

"If I said what I want to, you'd be the one on this date. Of course, that would only happen if you said yes to me, and why would you after knowing the reason I asked? It's a stupid bet, I know. But it's not the reason I tried to ask you out on Tuesday. It was because, after so long, I thought you should know." The more he talked, the closer he got.

Joe sighed. "But why would you ever believe me, even if there was no bet? I'm just upset because I know Nick's right. I can't always get I want, and I don't. All I want is you, but you could never love me the way I love you."

Stella was right in front of him at that point. She had tears in her eyes. He waited impatiently, scared of what was coming next, thinking he just made the worst mistake of his life. "You're the one who doesn't listen." Stella told him. She sounded more annoyed than ever. "You don't seem to learn to fast either."

Joe didn't know if he was more angry or confused, the heartache was taking over all of that. Stella decided she couldn't let him go on being tortured like this anymore, so she cleared things up for him.

She came as close as she could get and whispered in his ear: "Never say never."

**Thanks for reading, I'll update soon!**


	12. When The Rain Falls

**I DO NOT OWN JONAS (or the definition used.)**

Joe and Nick weren't the only members of the Lucas family who went out that night. Tom and Sandy took Frankie out with them for the night too. It was Friday, he was bored, and he wanted something to do. So, the three of them were going all around town.

Kevin hoped that his parents and his youngest brother were having a good time. He was in the house all alone and decided to go to bed around 10:00. Not that going to bed at what was considered early on a Friday night would make much difference for him. He was going to have trouble sleeping regardless.

To try and calm himself down, he went on one of those dream interpretation websites. Even though he had evidence to prove that he was being stalked in real life, the nightmares he kept having about the stalker actually finding him could mean something else entirely. So, he decided to check it out.

This is what he found. Stalk: To dream that you are being stalked, indicates difficulties and problems which you are not confronting. Your avoidance of these problems is not making them go away. If you are being stalked in real life, then this fear may be carried over into your dream state.

No help there. The website only told him what he already knew. As far as he could see, his only problem was that he was being stalked. He was to afraid to confront that, which seemed like the smart thing to him. Most of all, he was afraid that the definition was perfectly accurate, avoiding this problem didn't make it go away. Sighing, he went on reading.

To dream that you are a stalker, represents your shadow and the negative part of your Self. It is symbolic of a bad habit which you have unsuccessfully tried to break.

Bad habit? He could name one of his right off the bat. But he hadn't dreamed that he was a stalker, so that didn't matter. Did it?

Without arriving at a decision on that, he went back to bed. He'd only wasted ten minutes.

Kevin stared up at the ceiling; (which is very hard to do in a bunk like his since he has to poke his head out far enough without falling on the floor in the process.) It was blurry and spinning, as he'd seen it since Monday night. His eyes hurt just looking at it, so he closed them.

Shutting his eyes brought no relief. The darkness was still there, of course. He was even more afraid of it knowing he really did have a stalker. Sleeping was impossible. He was going to lay awake for hours, motionless…

Brown eyes flew open at the sound of rain coming down hard. _No, not again_. To the dismay of many, the forecast made on Monday had been correct. Rain every night of the week. To the extreme dissatisfaction of one, she was stuck out in that rain.

_How far have I walked?_ Macy asked herself, trying to distinguish her surroundings. _This is **not **good_! On any other night she usually just turned around to go home. The difference, she figured out, was that she couldn't turn around. Not without standing up first.

Instead of the usually dark alleys, and rain overflowing the gutters she saw, Macy was lying on the floor in front of something red. The rain was hitting her face as she reached out to touch what was in front of her, deeply confused, but she stopped when she felt a sudden sharp pain in her foot.

Wincing, she sat up slowly, holding her left leg so she could look it. _Why_? She asked herself. _Night after night, I never learn_. She was wearing shoes that had gotten way too small for her feet. While it was a very nice of her best friend to make them for her at the time, the pain became unbearable as she sat there in the dark, looking down.

The shoe was cutting off her circulation and digging into her skin. Pain had always been worse in her left foot, she knew that, but this was agony. Her tears were mixing in with the rain.

After realizing where she was, Macy cried even more. She buried her face in her hands and sobbed because nothing felt right to her anymore. She wasn't herself. If it did, and if she was, she'd be home. No place felt like home when she was like this.

Normally she cried because she felt like Kevin never noticed her, not in the way she wanted. She cried because he treated her like a baby and made her feel helpless and weak. She cried because he was so kind and so mean all at once, but never like this.

She had plenty of reasons to cry. She hadn't gotten a good night's sleep the entire week. She missed both practices she had to go to because of that and the rain. The sleeping pills she was taking gave her horrible nightmares. Some of those nightmares even came true, partially. She was in physical and emotional pain, and she couldn't tell which was worse.

Macy cried so loud that she was basically howling. It was like she was in a competition with the rain to see who could get the ground more wet. Worst of all, she knew no one would ever know. All of her sobbing was swallowed up by the storm.

While she kept on crying, Macy tried to get up from the floor she should've been anywhere near. She shook her head in shame because of that and her inability to stand. Pain shot through her every time she tried. Each time, it got worse.

Macy was terrified. If she couldn't get up, she couldn't leave. If she couldn't leave, she'd be in all kinds of trouble. Whining, she decided there was only one thing she could do.

It was risky. It was scary. Stupid, childish, rude, wrong. With all the adjectives she could use to describe what she was about to do, there was one that stood out from all the rest: needed.

Macy tilted her head back, trying to ignore the cramp in her neck. And with the little voice she had left from crying… she called out for help.

**I figured I'd end the chapter there. There's more coming soon. Thanks for reading!**


	13. Finding Cinderella

**I DO NOT OWN JONAS**

_Fifteen Minutes Earlier..._

Stella darted though the trees in the park, trying to get Joe off her trail. This is something they d done since there were kids, but usually the race was run in a straight line and the two of them were closer. The more she ran, the fainter the footsteps behind her got. She was laughing too loud to notice. He had to catch up this time, it was the most important race of his life.

Every move Stella made was easy. Nothing was really an obstacle if she could find her way through it with no challenge. She seemed to know every inch of the park by heart, even in the dark. She was showing off, jogging backwards and jumping to the side at the exact moment she would've backed into a tree, pole, or bench.

Joe was still nowhere to be seen, and Stella was still laughing just as happily as she had been at the beginning of the race. Aside from the fact that she was much quicker than normal, nothing had really changed. She still had her best friend, and he was right behind her... somewhere. She loved knowing that.

Joe wasn't exactly as skilled as Stella when it came to navigating without night vision goggles. He was lost. He didn't want to admit it, which is why he didn t say anything, but he had no idea where to go.

He didn't want to call out her name. That would only confuse and annoy all the people around. Joe laughed, remembering how many times he and his brothers were asked to turn the TV down when they called her. Classic. And it was really, he guessed.  
But talking was against the rules apparently. Joe wasn t allowed to make any noise. He couldn't understand that, considering Stella was laughing up a storm. He decided that inaudible noises didn't really count as talking.

Joe managed to get around all the trees, bumping into a few of them in the process. He came to the part of the park only a fountain and a big tree about a hundred years old stood. Silence fell. Stella had to be nearby, he just knew it. But where would she hide?

Only two choices. Joe went with the fountain. The tree was big enough that Stella could just walk around it as he tried to find her, and then go off running again.

He approached slowly, squinting to see. There was really not place to hide other than behind the fountain, and Stella would have to kneel for him not to see her. She was wearing a dress, why would she do that? Change of plans.

He headed off to the right, to where the tree was. Creeping around it would be pointless if he was chasing nothing. But she had to be there. He was sure of that. Just like he was sure he loved her. If he didn't love Stella he wouldn't be chasing her around -basically blind- in a park that was about to be hit with torrential downpour any minute.

Stepping carefully, so Stella wouldn't her him, he backed up as close to the tree as he could get without tripping over the roots. He stretched his arms out as far as they could go, basically hugging the tree backwards. There was nothing there, not that he could reach. He knew Stella had to be directly behind the tree. Directly behind him, actually. If there was no tree there, they would've been standing back-to-back.

He stepped even lighter than he had before, since he was getting closer to the back of the tree. Except he was taking such small steps he forgot to look out for the roots. Joe tripped and landed on his back. He didn't even scream in surprise about it either, since he hit the ground so fast.

If Stella was there, she would have burst out laughing. Instead of stifled laughter, Joe heard leaves rustling, a branch snapping, and a scream made by a voice he knew very well.

Stella landed right on top of him. They were both startled by her unexpected fall, but they smiled at each other. "Looks like you found me." She told him. He raised his eyebrows. "What were you doing up in a tree?"

Stella s expression softened. She looked amazed as well as scared when she whispered her reply. "You know me. I live for danger." Joe blushed. It felt strange to him that he wished he could take a blush back, but it seemed out of place. It wasn t like that was a compliment. She was just talking about the danger of the situation.

Stella looked right into his eyes, and in a softer, more serious tone added: "And I'd die for him too". Then Joe knew he had a reason to blush.

They helped each other stand up just as lightning struck. The both knew under a tree was definitely not a good place to be standing in a storm. Quickly, they ran to front gate, where Nick and Precious were waiting, hand-in-hand, just like them. "I don't want to go home yet." Stella complained. Everyone else agreed with her. Precious made a suggestion. "Let's go to my house and hang out." She yelled over the thunder. "This late?" Joe asked. She nodded, knowing her parents wouldn't have a problem with it as long as it was allowed and they were safe.

"I wanna go." Nick chimed in. "Of course you do." Joe replied, rolling his eyes. "So do I." Stella told him, sounding annoyed about the eye rolling. "Me too." He agreed finally. So, the four of them walked huddled together, arms linked, to the car. When the rain started they picked up speed.

"What do you think Kevin s doing right now?" Nick asked his brother, after he opened Precious's door and then went to sit next to her. Joe went to get in the driver's seat, but Stella had this defiant look on her face, so he sighed happily, handed her the keys, and went around to the passenger s side.

"I don't know. Probably sleeping."

* * *

"Kevin?! KEVIN!" The only goal he focused on before falling asleep wasn't reached. Kevin fell flat on his face after being jolted from his sleep. Scared as ever, he expected to see someone right in front of him. He knew it wasn't the rain that woke him up this time.

There was no one there. Oddly, he could hear a voice calling his name. It was weird as when he heard the footsteps, but then he'd found the shoe. So he knew it wasn't all in his head. But that could only mean one thing.

The stalker was right outside. Or maybe even closer. What could he do? Panic. That s all he did. He started sweating like crazy.

"KEVIN! KEVIN!!" His name seemed to be the only thing they knew how to say. Kevin was pale, and shaking with fear.  
Standing there, speechless, he could swear he heard something else. Between each scream of his name, was a plea for help. Well, maybe he didn't exactly hear it, but there was no doubt in his mind that this person really did need help. He was the only one around who could offer it.

He took the walk down the steps very slowly, still scared and not able to see very clearly. He didn't make any noise as he moved, as caution for whoever he would encounter.

As he came closer, the calls actually got fainter. Soon they stopped all together. Whoever was there must've given up hope that anyone would come. Thinking about it, he recognized the voice. That didn't make the situation any less creepy. In fact, it made it worse.

It was even darker in the kitchen then it was upstairs. Every once in awhile, the lightning would help Kevin find his way. He didn't exactly like that, considering what he was looking for. But than again, maybe it was all in his head.

He kept wishing that could somehow be true.

Standing at bottom of the steps, he saw something that was worse than all the nightmares he ever had combined... because it was real. It was scarier than any of the things that had happened to him that whole week. It was heartbreaking. It was traumatizing. It was...

Macy? He whispered, so low that she didn't even hear. She was looking right at him, he couldn't tell the difference between tears and rain seeing her face. She was shivering, sobbing, and holding her left foot, wincing in pain.

He couldn't see her too well. Just her general shape and her eyes, glinting with fear and shame.

"Help me." She pleaded. She had less of a voice then he did, but he knew she said that by the way she reached out for him, too weak to actually touch him. Macy watched him run to turn on the lights. When he did, he screamed. She stared at him, not knowing why. "Y-you're bleeding!" He stammered, not wanting to look. She did, at her left foot.

It looked as she knew it did, pale and scarred, throbbing. She glanced at the right one and gasped. It was bare and bleeding, just like he told her, from the ankle and halfway down the side. The cut was jagged and deep. Something was in it. Glass. How could she not feel that? She started to cry again just thinking about it.

Kevin didn't waste time. He ran to the front door, noticing the tiny trail of blood going from there to the middle of the floor, where she dragged herself. He shut the door, after taking the key he found out of it. He put the key on the counter. He'd have to ask her about that later, but he knew there were more important things he had to do first.

Getting on his knees, he picked her up. She didn't protest, being in so much pain. Her whole body hurt, that s why she didn't even know about her foot. And he made her feel better, somehow.

Kevin carried her up the stairs, whispering to her that everything would be okay. She didn't believe him. Her hands were shaking and she bawled into his shoulder, getting his shirt all wet. She cried over that too, which only made it worse. He rubbed her back to try and calm her down, but that didn t help. It felt like torture.

When they got to the top of the steps, he set her down. She didn't stay up. He gasped, watching her fall. "I can't stand." She whispered, not able to talk any louder. My ankle's twisted. Sorry for not telling you before." Kevin wasn't mad at her for that. Just mad at himself for not realizing. Plus, her feet were killing her. He had to focus, otherwise she wouldn't get better.

He laid her down on Joe's bed, since that was most comfortable. He made sure to put on new sheets first though, Macy sitting on the floor in the meantime, so that Joe's nice comforter wouldn't be stained with blood. Macy chose to sit up though. Kevin helped her do so.

She started to feel a little hope, looking at him. Maybe everything really would be okay. Maybe he would take care of her. Maybe she thought too soon.

Kevin's eyes widened as Macy s teeth started to chatter. She looked at him helplessly. He walked closer to her, breathing heavily in shock. He reached out and touched her forehead. She flinched even though she was expecting that.

He looked at her sadly and said. I've gotta find the thermometer." Thinking it over, he considered taking the glass out of her foot first. He ripped the shoe off the other foot, seeing how much that was hurting her too, and threw it across the room where the other one was.

The toss was almost comical, but Macy couldn't laugh. Especially not after seeing both shoes together. She tried to ignore it as Kevin went to get all the stuff he needed, but he saw what she was looking at.

Leaving the room, there was only one thing on his mind. _I'm definitely glad I found you now_.

**Thanks for reading, I'll update soon!**


	14. It's Inevitable

**I DO NOT OWN JONAS**

Nick stood at the sliding glass door in Precious s house, watching the rain come down. He had his arm resting on it for support, being so lost in thought that he needed that to keep him up. His mind was focused on a memory. One about the last time he had writer's block.

He remembered waking up from a dream, the song from it completely gone. His dad tried to help him remember by hitting random keys on the keyboard. Though none of the notes resurfaced afterward, there was something Tom had said that Nick could some how never forget.

What he said about the black keys. He called them weird. Nick disagreed with that completely. They were beautiful, just like Precious.

He caught her reflection in the glass. She stood at his back, one hand gently placed on it. It was the most comforting touch he'd ever felt, something he couldn't ignore. This was just her way of silently letting him know she was there, and he didn t want her gone. Precious had found a way to tell Nick she cared without words. He felt he owed it to her to do the same.

He was speechless anyway, slowly turning to her. He put a strand of hair behind her ear, and she froze where she stood. In a matter of a millisecond, there was no space between their lips. It was a moment that neither of them wanted to end, but a sudden boom of thunder made them both jump.

"I was just thinking about you." Nick whispered to her. She smiled, taking his hand. "I was thinking about you too." She said. "I'm glad I came over here." The both chuckled. "Me too." Nick replied.

Nick looked in the direction of the dining room, where neither of them had realized Joe and Stella were sitting in. It was because they weren't even paying attention, whispering to each other.

"Now, if only the two of them could--" "Stop arguing and kiss already?" Precious ended Nick's sentence for him, watching Stella get up from the table, suddenly angry, and exit the room, Joe running after her. Soon Precious figured out that Stella was only joking, because she turned around before Joe could even reach where she was and ran back to him, laughing. The two hugged.

"It s bound to happen sometime." Nick assured her. He felt sad seeing how two people who loved each other so much were still scared of being together and added: "It just has too..."

**Thanks for reading! I m working on the next chapter.**


	15. A Promise Is A Promise

**I DO NOT OWN JONAS**

Macy looked at her feet. One was bandaged on its way to healing, glass free and no longer bleeding, thanks to Kevin. The other had a throbbing, swollen ankle, that she had to keep ice on. She had to lie still so she could rest, hoping her fever would go down soon.

Kevin stood in the doorway, back from one of the many trips he made downstairs, from having to bring her medicine and things like that. This time he'd gotten food for himself, she had no appetite. He stayed silent while he kept on eye on her from where he was, thinking she wanted to sleep.

He definitely wasn't expecting the question that came out of her mouth once she saw him. "How do you not… hate me?"

He walked over, seeing her sit up. "Macy, that's impossible." He replied honestly. "What reason do I have to hate you anyway?" She gave him a skeptical look.

"Have you had a good night's sleep since Monday?" He didn't have to think about the answer to that question. "No, but neither have you." She just kept whispering question after question to him. "Can you honestly say you don't mind having to take care of me, and all the things I've put you through?" Her eyes were closed while she talked to him, after he gave his first answer.

"Yes I can, and I'm not the one who's sick." He tried to convince her she was the only one with something worth talking about. Macy opened her eyes again and used them to shoot him another look. She got that way whenever she was frustrated or not feeling well.

"I'm only sick because I sleepwalk in the rain!" She told him. He looked like he finally understood what was going on when she said that. Then he seemed confused, sitting at the edge of the bed so he could look at her while they talked.

"Why do you come _here_ every time?" He asked, finding it funny. Macy sighed, back to sounding like her normal self. "I don't know anymore, Kevin. I really don't know." He didn't quite understand that answer. "What, did you know before and forget?" He laughed again. "Why _do_ you sleepwalk anyway?"

Macy hesitated, fidgeting. "It happens when I don't tell secrets, when I have one that nobody knows." She breathed heavily, ashamed she admitted that.

Kevin had an idea. "Well, if you told someone this secret you have, then you'd stop sleepwalking. Right?" He was looking right into her eyes. Macy shrugged. "Yeah, Kevin. I would. Why?"

His tone turned serious all of a sudden. "Let's review. You've had to stay home from school from being so tired. You had to run home in the rain Wednesday morning leaving one of those little death traps you call shoes behind," Macy couldn't help but smile when he said that. "You missed two of your practices because of this stupid rain, which must be horrible for you, and… you're so upset. I hate to see you like this. He told her.

"And I don't wanna be like this." She agreed. "I don't want you to have to deal with _my _problem." She exhaled, coming to a realization. "Besides, I turned out to be you problem after all."

Kevin didn't tell her that he was actually happy to know who his stalker was. There was something else he had to say first. "You not a problem. You're my friend and it's my job to help you."

She gave him another one of those looks. "Why? She asked nicely. "Who said it was your job to help me with _my problem_?" "_I_ did, didn't you just hear me?" They both laughed.

Seconds of silence passed and Kevin found a way to sound even more serious than he had before. "Promise me something?" He asked. Because of what happened last time, Macy hated the word 'promise'. After breaking her last one, she knew she couldn't do that to him a second time.

"Okay, what?" She asked, her voice shaking. It was hard for her to look at him, but she didn't want to hurt his feelings. Especially since she knew how much it hurt her when people didn't make eye contact.

"You won't walk away from me this time." He responded. One of those uneven, stifled breaths Macy had heard from Joe came out of her mouth then. Unlike him, she didn't have the strength to look away, shedding a tear. "I made you cry, didn't I? When I did that?"

Kevin didn't know if the truth about that would hurt Macy's feelings any more, but he couldn't stand not being honest with her. "Seeing you cry always makes me cry. Knowing I'm the one who made you cry makes me cry even more."

"I'm so sorry." She told him. "I hate it when you cry. I hate making you cry." She rephrased after some thought. "Even if it's for a good reason?" Kevin whispered. "If it's ever for a good reason, let me know." She answered, in a very serious tone. "I will." He promised.

"I couldn't walk away if I tried." Macy said finally, looking at her ankle. "But I wouldn't even try." Kevin put a hand on her shoulder, being cautious about it. He knew every inch of her body ached. "Good." He smiled brightly.

Macy didn't smile back. "So, why can't I walk away?" She asked nervously. "I have an idea." Kevin said. "A solution to you problem."

Macy looked at him, more nervous than ever. "A promise is a promise." She reminded herself out loud. She faked a small smile in hopes that he wouldn't be able to tell. He could, but he didn't say so. All he said was: "I'm great at keeping secrets. She swallowed hard, her heart pounding.

Kevin didn't notice and added: "Tell me."


	16. Unneeded Words, Needed Companionship

**I DO NOT OWN JONAS**

Sitting in the backseat, Nick watched Precious at her front door. Joe was happy, finally in the driver s seat, pulling out of the driveway. The rain had stopped. Nick refused to look forward. Precious refused to leave her doorstep. The both stared longingly at each other, until the car drove out of sight.

Nick still didn t face forward. Stella could see him in the rearview mirror, twirling the drumsticks that Precious just had to buy him. She smiled at that, knowing all he could focus on was the song in his head. No doubt it was a love ballad.

Love. Stella s eyes widened as she had a thought. "Stop the car!" She screamed, scaring Joe so much that he lost control of the wheel for a second. As soon as he could focus again, he glared at her.

"For what?! And please tell me there was a reason for your spontaneous combustion over there."

"Spontaneous combustion." Stella repeated, laughing. Nick thought it was pretty funny too, picking up his drumsticks since Stella s outburst caused him to drop them.

"There is." Stella told Joe. "I have a very good reason, believe me." He did, pulling over and putting the car in park. "Okay. Now what?" "Get out." She said bluntly.

"_What_?" Both brothers asked at the same time. What had Joe done now? "Relax, I m coming too." She told them. "And I'm not?" Nick asked, not really wanting to. What he wanted to do was go home, or back to Precious's house.

Joe didn't want to argue so he did what he was told, but he left the keys in the ignition and the doors unlocked, so whatever this was about would be over quickly. He hoped it would, anyway. He walked around to where Stella was, stepping over the puddles in his way.

He held his hands out in question. "What are we doin' out here?" "I need a favor." She replied. "Anything." He said automatically. Stella took a breath. "I need you to catch up to me one more time."

Joe's jaw dropped. "Wait. No. You can't go off running again." He tried to protest. Stella didn't seem to be listening, since she started walking away. "Nick's still in the car, you know." He was a little annoyed. She ignored him, picking up speed. "Hey! Come back here!" No chance in that happing. "Stella!"

She only ran straight ahead, so she'd know how to get back later on. Joe was catching up much quicker than she expected. It wasn't long until he come running up alongside her.

Joe got in front of her and then picked her up so she couldn't run anymore. "What are you doing?" He whispered. "Do you ever listen to me?"

Stella shrugged, laughing at the tickle she felt, doing that while he held her. "Sometimes. If I listened to you all the time we wouldn't have as much fun." He laughed at that, but his laughter died down.

"I'm terrified." He said. He blurted it out, even though he was trying to sound calm. The statement seemed random, but somehow fit. "Why should you be? I m your best friend." She told him, knowing what he meant. That's exactly why I m terrified." He told her.

She sighed. "Be terrified. I am too. Just don't let fear hold you back from doing what you want." Stella shivered. "You're cold?" Joe asked. Stella laughed happily. "No, I'm shocked, but in a good way." "Why?" Joe asked.

"Because, you re holding me." Stella replied. "And?" He didn t see the point. "And that's amazing!" She said, sounding as amazed as she felt. Without even realizing it at first, she stoked his cheek with her fingertips, making him blush. "You're right." He said.

Suddenly, Stella's eyes were gleaming. Her voice cracked when she spoke. "From now on, I want you _not_ to agree to things that you don t want to agree too. Can you do that?" "Sure." He said, knowing she was close to crying because she was happy.

"In that case," She said, eyes sparkling, "can I have a kiss?" Their hearts were pounding. "You can have as many as you want." Joe replied, beaming smiles appearing on both their faces.

"Well, let's start with one." Stella told him, giggling. "Nick's waiting in the car, remember?" "Why'd you have to bring him up?" Joe asked. "You ruined a perfectly good moment."

"Well, If you're gonna be like that then maybe I won't kiss you." She joked. Joe could tell she was playing around. She just liked to argue. "Maybe I'll just make you put me down and I'll go searching for another rockstar best friend with brown eyes that make me feel all warm inside and--" "Aw, hush!" He said, lifting her up more and letting her wrap her legs around him. If she didn t she'd probably just fall, and then the moment would really be ruined.

All the times this had happened in their dreams didn't even come close to the sweetness of reality. The story of their lives, which they both knew well, was written on their hearts in code, ways words couldn't describe. Words were unneeded, and their hearts sang, being so thankful. Minutes went by, and passed slow, for once. This is what they had waited for most of their lives. This was true love.

Breaking apart was hard to do, but they both knew Nick was growing impatient. They ran back to the car hand-in-hand, laughing the entire way. The first thing they heard when they got in the car was: "Congratulations."

Joe and Stella both turned and looked at Nick, shocked. "What did you say?" They both asked him. He gave them a skeptical yet cheerful look. "I'm not an idiot. I know a goofy smile when I see one." That was true, since he was usually the one who made them, though never for Joe and Stella s reason. Until Precious, that is.

"Um, thanks?" Stella told him. "Yeah." Joe agreed, smiling. "No, thank you." Nick replied. "It s about time!"

* * *

"You know, you're unbelievable. Macy said this after much hesitation, not even looking at Kevin when she did. The words sounded like they were coming from someone else, definitely not anyone whose name meant upbeat and happy. He figured she had an excuse, she was sick.

"Is that your secret?" He asked, knowing it couldn't be. She wasn't in the mood for joking. "How do you do that?" She asked, ignoring his question. "Do what?" He replied. "You say exactly what I'm hoping you won't." She whispered sadly.

Kevin looked worried. "That happens a lot?" Macy nodded. He frowned. "Okay, how bout this, if you can t tell me your secret then tell me what you're thinking right now." He suggested. Macy gulped. "How will that stop my sleepwalking?"

Scratch that plan. "Never mind." Kevin told her. "You obviously hate talking to me." He mumbled. She gasped. "No I don't!" It's just hard. She whispered. It shouldn't be. I'm nice. He argued, feeling miserable.

"You're the nicest guy I know." Macy corrected, not noticing she had until he smiled. "Wow. Thanks." Macy didn't respond. Suddenly, Kevin laughed. "What?" She asked him, touching her throbbing head.

"You're wearing a dress." He said. "You've been sleepwalking in that for five days? Is there a reason for that?" He found it mysterious. Not creepy like all the other things he'd discovered that week, besides her of course. She wasn't creepy at all and neither was the dress. The dress was beautiful. It took him a few seconds to figure out why it was red. When he did, he laughed again.

"There shouldn't be." Macy muttered. "If you tell me your secret, I'll tell you mine." Kevin said to her. She looked at him. "You have another secret besides this?" He nodded slowly in response, seeming ashamed of whatever it was.

"Do I scare you?" Macy asked out of nowhere. She seemed like you really needed to know. "Sometimes." Kevin replied honestly. "Like when?" She asked.

"Like when you don't tell me what's wrong. That scares me. When you randomly lash out at me. That scares me. And when you leave my house crying. That scares me too. And when you show up again, bleeding and sick. That scares me even more."

"Humph." That's all she said in response, but she didn t sound annoyed. She was back to a volume that only could be heard since Kevin was right next to her. "Why?" She challenged. And it really was a challenge. Kevin didn't have an answer for her.

"Why do you sleepwalk?" He asked in the same tone she was using, disregarding the sour look on her face. "I told you, I have a secret." She whispered. "And why do you have a secret?" Macy blinked. How could she explain that? "Because if anyone knew my life would be ruined." She decided. "I wouldn't let it ruin your life." Kevin said. She didn t believe him.

"Right now I really wish you were the one with the twisted ankle." She admitted. Kevin was taken aback by that. He didn't let her know that though, staying calm when he spoke. "Why is that?"

When he asked that question, she fought back tears. "Because I don't want you to run away from me." Kevin almost screamed his reply, angry with himself for doing that but too mad about what she said to care. "I would never do that, why do you think I would do that?"

"Because, like my secret, I don't want that." She told him, surprised by his reaction. "That's why sometimes..." She stopped talking, ashamed of what she almost said. Of course, he overheard. "What?" He whispered. "Tell me something. Anything. Please Macy, I'm only trying to help."

She wished she could stand up and walk out of the room, but that was impossible. Instead, she just turned away from him completely. "Wanna know how you can help me?" She said, with her arms crossed. "Leave me alone. Move. Move somewhere far away where I can't follow, even in my sleep. Because having you around makes me think too much, like anything can happen."

Kevin was speechless. For someone in her favorite band, he felt like he was being treated as a worst enemy, and he didn't do anything wrong. Regretfully, Macy finished her sentence, turning back to him. That's why sometimes I wish I never met you."

When she said that, Kevin looked up at her. Even with his blurry vision, he could see she was pale. More pale then before, and suddenly speechless like him. Just when he thought he couldn't be any more confused, she reached for his hand and held it tightly.

"But then I remember how badly I need you." She whispered, coughing. "Please don t leave me..."

**There's more coming soon, I m thinking of revealing the secret in the next chapter. Tell me what you think!**


	17. Given Hope And A Taken Chance

**I DO NOT OWN JONAS**

"Thinking about it, I've had this secret for years." Macy told Kevin as her shaking hand took the little cup of medicine from him. Her fever had spiked again, and she was overtired. So, no matter how much she desperately wanted to sleep so that she could avoid the conversation she was having, she couldn't.

She drank the medicine down in one gulp. "It just never really had any meaning 'til now." She continued. "It wasn't as strong." "Strong?" Kevin repeated, confused. He crossed the floor to put the bottle back on a shelf. Macy's eyes widened. Even that hurt. She stuttered, trying to explain herself. She couldn't find the words.

"Why wasn't it as… _strong_?" Kevin asked her, hoping he would know what that meant once he answered. She said nothing, closing her eyes and breathing a sigh. "This secret just makes trouble." She mumbled angrily.

Kevin laughed in reply. "Hey, give up the secret, get rid of the trouble. It's how it works." _Easy for you to say._ She thought. "Kevin?" She called, even though he was right in front of her.

"Yeah?" He walked around to where she was facing, and sat on the floor. They were face-to-face. "Does it creep you out?" He had no idea what she meant. He told her so with his eyes, and she understood.

"When I hold your hand?" She looked right at him for a reply. "No." "I wish I could believe you." She confessed. That was something she never said to him before, even though she thought it a lot.

Kevin put his hand up so that it was next to hers. He stretched out his fingers. She smiled, as they interlocked with hers, which were pale and cold. "Do you believe me now?" He asked.

Macy laughed, and it wasn't the happy kind of laughter either. It was the kind that made him almost want to let go of her hand. She spoke in a slow, unhappy tone. "Every day I spend with you is a day where I try to make sure you _don't_ see me as some helpless child. That's very hard to do with… a fever and everything else."

Kevin frowned. His hand freed from her grasp and he pulled it back. She looked at him, sadness in her eyes, unable to say anything. "Just minutes ago you pleaded for me not to leave you. You're the one who's gone." He said.

"You faded. I drained your confidence. Sometimes I wish I never met you either." Macy stared in shock as he went on. "You say you need me but you think I don't care." Macy closed her eyes. "I just don't want to feel like you're being… handed over to me." She admitted.

She felt herself being lifted up and reached, eyes still closed, to keep the icepack on her ankle. The room she couldn't see slowly spun. "What's the matter? Open your eyes." He whispered. Reluctantly, Macy listened.

She took in the image of the ceiling. Looking down she saw the hardwood floor. She looked forward at the windows as Kevin spun her around a second time. She saw rugs and all of Kevin's guitars as a blur, even when moving so slowly. Nick's drum set was just a flash of blue.

The last thing she saw was the recording studio. She still gulped at the sight of that. Bad memories. They washed away as she spun around a third time. She forgot what she was talking about, in the euphoria she was feeling, but Kevin hadn't.

"I guess that's how I always felt." He said. He wasn't sure if he should set her back down again. Macy didn't seem to miss just lying there too afraid to say what she needed to.

So, he sat down. She was on his lap. She didn't mind, and neither did he. She didn't speak, but he felt like he had to. "I never wanted you to feel like I was handed over to you, and it seems like you were handed over to me. Which is why I hesitated to… have you. What did I earn?"

Macy had something to say to that. "A lot more than I did, trust me." She didn't stall at making eye contact when she added. "You're so good. You know that, right?" He shrugged. "I might believe you if you believed me once in awhile. I wouldn't lie to you."

She nodded. "I'm sorry for lying to you," She said, remembering their scene in the hallway, "I just don't want you to worry." "I'll always worry about you, I can't help it." He answered. "It's my job." Macy wondered why he kept saying that. "Kevin, why do all your 'jobs' have something to do with me? It doesn't seem very fair."

He laughed. "That was my choice." He told her. They were looking at each other, perfectly calm that way. Macy held both his hands, wondering how long that would last. "You chose me?" She asked.

Kevin nodded, smiling. She was shocked. The question wasn't even meant to come out of her mouth, but he answered, face flushed. "You could have anybody." She reminded him, surprised she let those words be heard too. "I know." He answered.

Macy couldn't help but be angry that Kevin was always the one to bring her to tears. Regardless of that, she didn't do anything to fight them back. Instead, she let them fall while she fixed her posture.

"Everything's not going to be left up to you." She told him. "Do you know why?" Kevin shook his head. "Because you don't deserve that. What you deserve is to know what my secret is." They both smiled at that. "Promise me you'll accept it, whether you like it or not.

"I promise, Macy." He said, hoping it was something he was going to like. She cupped her hand to his ear. They both closed their eyes in suspense. She spoke in a voice that barely carried over with how much it quivered, knowing nothing would be the same afterward.

"I wrote you a song." She said finally. Kevin was thrilled by that. And yet, he was disappointed. But Macy hadn't moved away. In fact, she barley even breathed. He waited for words he wasn't sure were even real. They came in a way that made all the waiting worth it.

"Because I love you…"

Kevin opened his mouth to answer. "We're home!" Came a chorus of voices from downstairs. (He hadn't even heard the door open.) It was everyone. His parents, his brothers, even Stella. But he couldn't answer them.

After everything, he was shocked.

**I liked writing this chapter. How was it? I'll update soon!**


	18. Reactions

**I DO NOT OWN JONAS**

**Macy's point of view**

I can't believe I just said that! I broke a promise to myself by speaking my mind. I said I never would, not about this. It's the biggest mistake I've ever made. I know that because I don't get an answer, or even a look. Not even a sympathetic look. To make it worse, I expected not to. I expected this.

Nothing good can come out of telling someone words they hear on a daily basis. Maybe it s something he got tired of hearing. Or maybe he just doesn't believe me...

* * *

Kevin got up to walk downstairs without even a word. 'Awkward' didn't even come close to describing how it was when he just sat there waiting for Macy to get off his lap. He was still too shocked to say anything, or pick her up again.

Everyone was just standing around the kitchen when he got down there. Frankie looked exhausted. Kevin could tell because his mom was carrying him.

Joe and Stella were silent but smiling. He was trying to be happy for them but what he was seeing only made him feel sick because of his own situation. Nick was deep in thought. About Precious, that was obvious. That only added to Kevin s pain, which made him angry because he knew he should be congratulating his brothers.

Instead he stood there, still not saying anything. "Hey, Kev. How s it, uh, going?" His dad sounded like he could tell something was wrong. Everyone was giving him concerned looks, even with their tired eyes. "It looks like you haven't slept." Joe said.

"You haven't either." Kevin replied. Joe, Stella and Nick looked at each other. "That's because we were out. Nick answered. You weren't. So, what s your excuse?"

That's when Kevin got a look at the clock for the first time since Macy showed up. "I've been playing doctor for almost five hours." He mumbled. No one understood him. "What did you say?" His mother asked.

Kevin decided he might as well tell them what was going on, before his brothers went upstairs and saw for themselves. "Look, Macy's sick." He began. Everyone was already concerned, but they didn t know the whole story yet. "I'm taking care of her. She s been here for almost as long as you've been out."

"How sick?!" Stella asked, wondering why Macy was even there and not at her own house. "I had to carry her upstairs." Kevin responded. "She's hurt too." He said, realizing how serious it was. Sandy gasped.

Hearing that sent Stella running. Of course, she was worried about her best friend. She hoped it wasn't as bad as she imagined. Joe followed, as shocked as Stella was by the news. Nick ran upstairs right behind his brother, sadness in his eyes. Tom went after him, very quickly. Sandy was last to go, still carrying Frankie.

Knowing how crowded the room would be, and unable to move with all the mixed emotions he was feeling, Kevin stayed right where he was. His eyes were focused on the clock as it ticked away. He felt like he was running out of time.

Macy didn t look at the crowd of people that rushed to her bedside. She didn't like having of audience of people to pity her. Even without looking, she knew Kevin wasn't there. She knew how he walked, and she didn t hear his footsteps. As she expected. She wouldn t be surprised if he never talked to her again. She'd be extremely upset, but she wouldn't be surprised.

Stella sounded like she was on the verge of tears. "Macy, no offense but you look horrible. Are you sure Kevin s taking care of you right?" She sat on the edge of Joe's bed, waiting for an answer.

Before Macy could say anything, Joe had to comment. "Stella. Please leave the cheering up to me. I'm sure that s not what Macy wants to hear." Stella raised an eyebrow. "Like you could do any better." Joe looked insulted. "At least _I_ didn't do any... worse!"

"Such a happy couple." Macy mumbled. The two of them were shocked by what she said. "What? How did you—" Joe couldn't even finish his sentence. Stella was just as surprised, but she didn t say anything. "It's impossible to hide." Nick said, laughing.

He stopped laughing when he saw the garbage pail in the corner of the room. He saw all the bloody paper towels and things like that, and shuddered. Then his eyes widened and he had to step closer to make sure he wasn't hallucinating.

"Is that _glass_?!" He turned back to Macy when he asked that question. She nodded slowly, gesturing to her bandaged foot. That made Nick shudder more, along with everybody else. "Poor Macy..." Sandy whispered. "Poor Kevin!" Nick, Joe and Tom said at the same time.

Macy had to giggle at that. It was true. After laughing, she got even more quiet than before. She hated having all these people around her. She knew that if she was ever alone with Kevin again it wouldn t be much better. Someone read her thoughts.

"Guys, I think we should leave her alone." Everyone looked at Frankie, confused but also amazed, since they could see that's what she wanted. Stella got up. "Okay, let's get out of here." She said. Everyone mumbled their last thought, leaving the room.

Frankie had finally been put down, so he walked out the room. When he did, he heard Macy say something from inside. "Thanks."

**I'll update soon, tell me what you think!**


	19. Heart In Your Hands

**I DO NOT OWN JONAS.  
For the song in here, try to imagine your own tune. One suggestion for the verses though is one of Precious's favorite songs, "Shape Of My Heart" By Backstreet Boys.**

Stella rushed over to the firehouse as soon as she woke up the next morning. She had only gotten about four hours of sleep, with all the explanation she had to give to her family, and Macy's mother.

Everyone was worried. Everyone was scared. Everyone was shocked. Everyone was sad. Nick answered the door. Precious was right next to him, she'd heard the news too. "Morning." Stella greeted the both of them, not sounding very happy.

"Morning." They returned. That s all it was, not much good about it. Except, Nick and Precious were enjoying each other's company. "Is Macy still here?" Stella whispered. She hadn't gotten an update from anyone. Both her friends nodded sadly in reply.

"Has she gotten any sleep?" "None of us have, really." Joe answered, coming down the stairs. He hugged her hello, and Precious and Nick looked at each other. "That reminds me," Nick whispered. "Did I give you a hug today?" Precious shook her head. "I don't think so."

He laughed a little. "Are you saying that because it's true or do you just want another one?" "Either we're both being forgetful or I really haven't gotten a hug from you today." She told him. "Oh." He said, gently pulling her backward into his embrace. She giggled and turned around to face him while they hugged.

They held on for longer than either of them expected. Pretty soon, Joe and Stella were looking at them strangely. Precious just couldn t bring herself to let go. Nick could feel that, and he didn't mind.

"So. How's Kevin?" Stella asked Joe, while the others were still hugging. Joe's face fell. He took time to think of how to answer. "He's quieter lately." "That's possible?" She whispered worriedly. "Apparently." He replied.

Suddenly, Precious let go of Nick. She seemed like she just remembered she had something important to do. "I'm sorry." She said, with a sad look in her eyes. "I have to go. Thanks for breakfast." She said as she stepped around him, him turning to watch her walk away in the process. Joe and Stella did the same.

"Where are you going?" Nick asked. His voice cracked. She turned at the door to explain, he assumed. Instead she chocked back tears. "I'll be back, I promise." That was all she said. For some reason, Nick fought the urge to follow her. Seconds ago, she let him go, even though she didn t want to. So, instead of arguing, he repaid the favor, looking at the floor when the door closed.

"It's okay." Stella whispered to him, unable to see his expression, but knowing how it looked. Joe looked at him sympathetically. They were all feeling the same way. Nick glanced up and nodded. "I just have a bad feeling." He told her. "I just want things to get better."

* * *

Macy stretched her arms up above her head. Some bones cracked when she did this, and she actually felt good. Her fever was gone, she could tell, but she didn't dare open her eyes. She remembered where she was, although it took awhile to figure out.

She stayed where she was, just listening. She felt guilty and stupid because of everything she put her friends through. They didn't deserve this. Something crossed her mind. Where were they?

Maybe she was completely alone. That's how she felt, anyway. Reluctantly, she sat up and opened her eyes. The room was still silent. Macy tried to stand. Her ankle still throbbed and ached, but she hope she could walk if she took it slowly. She tried not to step with too much pressure, using walls and anything else around her for support. She kept her eyes on her feet while she walked, scared. Unsure of where she was headed, she wondered how she looked. She hoped no one would be around to tell her.

"You should really look where you're going." Macy jumped at the sound of Kevin's voice. Out of everyone, she wanted to see him least. They hadn't exactly left off at a good spot. She looked up to see him standing in front of her.

She really didn't have to look where she was going. Staring at her feet, she'd walked past Joe's gym equipment and the floor lamp that looks like a guitar. She managed to walk through Kevin's part of the room without tripping on a single rug. She even made it through Nick's part of the room without falling into his bed, which is something that was impossible for her to do anywhere else. The fact that it hadn't happened was pretty amazing in her opinion.

She stood in front of Kevin, who was in front of the recording studio, just waiting. She didn't know what he was waiting for. "Are you feeling better?" He asked, sounding sorry. She didn't want him to be sorry. She didn't want him to feel sorry for her.

Macy looked up. Kevin didn't smile at her. To do that, he'd just be faking it. "I don t feel sick anymore." She responded. Macy was trying to be honest with him, but it wasn't really working. She felt sick inside. She felt sick for feeling the way she did about him. He seemed to be sickened by that anyway.

"I'm sorry I didn't say anything." Kevin began, like he was reading her mind. Macy didn t let him finish talking. "What can you say? You didn't ask for this." "But I—" She interrupted him again. "You didn't ask for some fan to forget her place." "Macy—" He sounded angry at that, but she made him even angrier. "You didn't ask for _me_!" "YES I DID!"

Silence fell after his outburst. Macy stood still, absolutely stunned. She wasn't even sure she registered what he said, but that force of it had her taken aback. Even if what he said was a good thing, he had lashed out at her, which is something he never did. To anyone.

"What?" She said this as if she was outraged, being so shocked. Kevin breathed heavily, exasperated.

"You told me... you love me. I owe you... the world." "What?" She repeated, in the same tone as before. She knew that had to be an exaggeration. He didn't exactly want it to be. He needed her to feel like he owed her something. She didn't have a clue what she'd done for him. So, he thought he might let her know.

"I mean, some people would find it strange to be thanked for telling someone that they love them..." Macy didn't know where he was going with this, and she was still amazed it was happening. Maybe she was still asleep. Maybe it was all a dream. Maybe she never even told him her secret.

Maybe not. One thing she knew was, she would be thankful. Him loving her back would be a dream come true. "Sing for me." Kevin said. It wasn't an order. He sounded like he was begging, which was more of a surprise to Macy than him yelling.

"What?" Kevin had to laugh. She still sounded exactly the same. He pointed behind him. "Sing for me. I really want to hear that song." He was able to manage a real smile after saying that, feeling a bit relieved.

Even though her feet went in the direction he requested, her mind was reeling. There were so many things that didn't make sense to her, including something she actually reminded him. "You hate my singing." She told him, even as she was standing in front of the microphone. "I never said that." Kevin argued.

"But I'm terrible at it." She replied. He raised his eyebrows. "I don't want you to think about it the way you did when you sang for me the first time. She gave him a deer-in-the-headlights stare. "Reach into you soul." He instructed. _Wow_. She thought. He wanted to know who she was. What she was, being a fan, being a friend, didn t matter as much. What she was didn't make him think it was incredibly easy to fall in love with her.

With that, she opened her mouth. The sound he heard was unlike anything he'd ever heard from her before. It could still make him feel like he was going to faint, but that was because her singing was so beautiful. To add to his amazement, he was the inspiration for the beautiful song.

**__**

Cradle me I am so weak lately Comfort me I can't make it in this world all alone I'm helpless and fragile Crawling On my knees What will it take to reach you? When will you understand? Without a second of reconsideration I would've put my heart in your hands But you stole it

As she reached the first chorus, Kevin stared in wonder. He was seeing a whole new side of her. It was like she was the rockstar, and she turned him into an instant fan. He smiled, knowing it was a bit random. He fell deeper in love with every note, but even though she had the courage to admit her feelings to him, it wasn't going to be so easy for him to do the same.

She didn't choose who she saw in a spotlight, and neither did he.

**__****__**

Sing To me Under The stars I want to be Wherever You are Don't Ever Let me go

Macy smiled when she got to the second verse, even though she was nervous. Unable to read Kevin's mind and unaware of how amazed he was, she kept on singing. He could relate to the words, knowing they were true. He'd heard some of them before. In fact, it was almost scary. He lived the life told in the verses.

**_Carry me I'm too tired to walk Cover me _****_My protector, you're not afraid of anything _****_I'm harmless and terrified Crying Please don't leave_**

**_What will it take to have you?  
When will you understand?  
It's not a mistake in judgment_** **I could've put my heart in your hands** **_But you stole it_**

For the second chorus, Kevin mouthed some of the words. 'I want to be wherever you are.' There wasn't a better way to say it.

_**Cradle me or leave me crawling**_ **_Carry me or let me fall_** **_Comfort me or I'll keep crying_** **_Cover me or I'll be trying_** l**_To get through this fight all on my own_** **_Oh, I wish you'd_**

**_Sing _****__**

To me Under The stars I want to be Wherever You are Don't EVER Let me go

**_All I ever wanted was to be your baby My broken heart needs a home You can keep it if you really love me I don't want to hear it I want it proven I could prove I love you too if you'd let me Cradle, comfort, carry and cover you_**

So, she made the decision for him. He wouldn't tell her anything. But the urge to was almost unbearable. He fought it off to let her finish singing.

**_We'll sing to each other Under the stars I'm happy being Wherever you are Please don't ever let me Go_**

After it was over, Kevin didn't comment on her song. He didn't tell her how great he thought it was or how fantastic she sounded and looked. He just smiled when she came back to where he was standing.

This is what he said: "I know that you tend to look at things differently than others do, so you probably think that what I was talking about is sweet. Plus, you have good manners."

"I don't understand." Macy told him. The look on her face proved that. Kevin tried to explain. His voice sounded as gentle as his eyes looked when he spoke. "Thank you, Macy, for everything. And you re welcome."

**"Gym equipment", I didn't know what else to call it. Did you like the song? I wrote it June 17th, after I saw "Chasing the Dream". I'll update soon. Thanks for reading!**


	20. A Different Sort Of Song

**I DO NOT OWN JONAS. or the song used.**

**Kevin's Point Of View**

After all that's happened this week, all I can do is be thankful. My brothers had a rough week, but they're happy now because they have their girlfriends and they're no longer fighting. I guess two days was a long enough time for Nick to go without saying a word to Joe. Stella had a rough week, but that's over now since she has nothing to worry about. No more disappointment. No more jealousy. She's smiling again, we all missed that.

Precious had a rough week too. For awhile she felt like Stella hated her, I can tell. She was so confused. I'm glad everything's figured out now. I've never seen Nick happier…

The Lucas family, Stella, and Macy had go out to eat. The resturant was nearly empty, since it was early in the afternoon. Precious wasn't there, still wherever she had to go, but Nick smiled anyway. He could almost feel her presence, like she was nearby. He missed her, but his mood brightened when he told himself that she was perfectly fine, happy an healthy, and she' be back any minute.

Macy was just coming in when everyone else had just gotten settled sitting. Before coming to the resturant, she went home to get changed. She still had to take it slowly, but she didn't mind. She'd never been happier either. Kevin laughed, seeing her shirt. It was gray, like the koala drawn on it. The talk bubble next to it read: "I'm so emo." She smiled, almost blushing, and went to find a place to sit.

As she passed Kevin to go sit across from him, he saw what that shirt had on the back. A single eucalyptus leaf. Inside it were the words "minty fresh".

**Kevin's Point Of View**

I think Macy's had the worst week of us all. In fact, I'm sure of that. I think this has been the worst week of her life. I don't know If she'll ever really know what I was thanking her for. She has no idea, actually. She thinks I'm the one who should be thanked, since I took care of her. She saved my life, though. She saved it from routine, saved it from boredom, saved it from sadness. How am I ever going to be able to repay her for that?

I can still see her face while she was lying on my kitchen floor, even when she's right it front of me. It's contradicting. She's right here in front of me, laughing at what Joe and Stella are talking about, and I can still see tears and blood. It haunts me. I keep telling myself it's over. She's better now, everything can go back to normal. But honestly, I don't think anything will ever be the same…

In the middle of all the chatting and laughter, no one really noticed the door swing open. Kevin put on a smile, forcing himself to stop worrying about problems that weren't going on anymore. Everyone had something to contribute to the conversation, everyone was acting like a true member of the family, sharing jokes and memories, even Macy, who didn't have many in common with the rest of them.

Kevin noticed that, for the first time that whole week, the sun was shining. It seemed to warm everyone's heart. Their problems were behind them, it was a thing worth celebrating. So, that's exactly what they were doing. They all knew nothing could ruin the moment.

"Nicholas…" The whisper from the doorway felt like a knife going into his heart. Everyone at the table turned to see Precious standing there. Her breathing was shallow, uneven, and sharp. Nick slowly made his way over to where she stood, scared by her tone. Silence had fallen.

He didn't speak, but he swallowed hard in nervousness. Precious sounded like she was trying to be strong, her brown eyes having trouble focusing on him. "I get it now." She whispered to him. The amount of sadness in her voice was more than he had ever hear in anyone's.

"What are you saying, Precious?" Nick could hardly speak himself. Chills ran down his spine as he waite for her to answer. It was much harder with everyone staring directly at her. Precious shook it off. She felt she only had one chance to say what she need.

Except she didn't speak. She sang. Although she did so beautifully, it starlted everyone who heard. It was so unexpected, but the words that came with it were horrifying to hear. Nick felt his heart sinking deep. He felt like he was running a fever. Hot tears of anger, shame and sadness ran down his cheeks. He just wanted this perfect outing that turned into a nightmare to end, especially since he knew it was one he couldn't wake up from.

It was reality.

_**Got the news today, doctor said I had to stay**_

_**A little bit longer and I'll be fine…**_

_**The End**_

**There's going to be a sequel. I have to research for it and I don't know what to call it yet. Thanks so much for reading it, I hope you love it! I will definitely be writing again soon, I even have a different kind of story in mind. Look out for the sequel, thanks again!**


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